Solved The Greenough Family Axe Murders WA

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The details of the murder and cime scene pictures of where Karen MacKenzie (age 31) and her three children Daniel (16), Amara (7), and Katrina (5) at their remote rural property in Greenough Western Australia, on 21 February 1993 were considered so gruesome the judge has it all under seal to this day.

On the day of the crime, Mitchell had spent the day getting high on a mix of cannabis, alcohol and amphetamines. The trouble began with the sound of a car arriving at the MacKenzie home. Daniel went out to see who it was and was confronted by Mitchell. Mitchell, wielding an axe killed Daniel and headed for the house, where he found MacKenzie asleep in the lounge room. After attacking her with the axe and killing her, he then raped her. Amara and Katrina were asleep in their bedrooms when Mitchell turned his attention to them

This case has been solved. The killer William Patrick Mitchell who attended their funeral prior to his arrest and 22 years old at the time was sentenced to life imprisonment pleading guilty to the murders, interfering with a corpse and sexual assault on a child. A non parole period of twenty years was set and which has been served. Mitchell has unsuccessfully applied for parole twice over six years and in September 2019 was eligible to apply again for a third time.

Karen's family is active each time he applies, in attempting to ensure he stays behind bars.

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Krusty Crab

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details of the sexual assault and murder of the children have been sealed due to what happened, which was so shocking it affected the attending detectives. i recall watching a documentary about this murder, and one of the original detectives was interviewed. he had children at the time the same age as the victims, and was still mentally scarred years later.
 
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details of the sexual assault and murder of the children have been sealed due to what happened, which was so shocking it affected the attending detectives. i recall watching a documentary about this murder, and one of the original detectives was interviewed. he had children at the time the same age as the victims, and was still mentally scarred years later.
He was actually my basketball coach when I was a lot younger growing up in Gero and was always very emotional whenever the topic came up. Would never give out any details about what they found that night said we were better off not knowing.
 

Willow weeps

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My old tutor was the head journo on this case & he was also deeply affected by what he saw. He never gave details either & all journos on the scene also had counselling. He's never getting out alive thanks to the Bernie's victim who survived & campaigned for murderers like him & Bernie to not be let back out & the emotional turmoil the victim's families suffer every time these murderers are up for a parole hearing
 
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My old tutor was the head journo on this case & he was also deeply affected by what he saw. He never gave details either & all journos on the scene also had counselling. He's never getting out alive thanks to the Bernie's victim who survived & campaigned for murderers like him & Bernie to not be let back out & the emotional turmoil the victim's families suffer every time these murderers are up for a parole hearing

Some crimes are so brutal with such a devastating impact, its hard to accept they could be given another chance to perhaps do it again.
 

zedx

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Not long after these horrible murders, I was travelling to visit my brother in Geraldton, my car broke down not to far from where this happened, no mobile so had to walk to a small house to ask to use their phone. It was just myself and my small daughter and I was so scared, I had never been here before so didn't know the area but knew i was in Greenough from the road signage and so was praying to God that the house I was going to for help was not THE house as there where not many houses in this area. When I knocked on the door of the house the people inside were so scared they wouldn't open the door, but eventually 'threw' their phone out to me to call my brother. When i put the phone back at the foot of their locked door they told me to lock myself in the car till my brother came and not to open it for anyone! When my brother arrived he pointed up the road to a drive way and thats when I realised how close I was to their house. Absolutely hair raising!!
 
Back in 2018 Mitchell was officially been banned from parole consideration for six years, the next time the maggot can apply will be 2024/25
 

cactuscall

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The details of the murder and cime scene pictures of where Karen MacKenzie (age 31) and her three children Daniel (16), Amara (7), and Katrina (5) at their remote rural property in Greenough Western Australia, on 21 February 1993 were considered so gruesome the judge has it all under seal to this day.
Just watched the Crime Investigation Australia (S1, ep12) episode on this and they showed a picture with Daniels body clearly in it, laying down outside with his head blurred.
 
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Just watched the Crime Investigation Australia (S1, ep12) episode on this and they showed a picture with Daniels body clearly in it, laying down outside with his head blurred.

Think I remember that actually. It's so evil what he did to that family and he looks so ... ordinary. The kind of bloke who would be invisible in a room full of people.
 

cactuscall

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It was truly evil, hard to comprehend how anyone could carry out those acts. It was shocking just hearing what he did to Daniel and the mother and I'm usually pretty hard to shock. I had a morbid curiosity in trying to find out exactly how the girls died but it seems it really is hidden and not published even with the internet today which I thought might have leaked/revealed more on it.
 

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Many years ago when I was younger and living it up doing karaoke with the girls at the pub a lovely older lady asked to sit with us and spent the evening singing along and having a laugh…..her name was Barb…..the next week the pub owner came over and said Barb wanted to thank us for the great evening…….he told us who she was and that she was in Perth for the trial and her daughter and grandchildren were the Greenough victims…… it was just for that few hours no-one knew who she was or what she was going through…….I have never forgotten……


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SquiffyRae

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Casefile just covered this crime and there was one thing that kept throwing me off. The podcast kept talking about Amara being sexually assaulted as if it was confirmed.

Correct me if I'm wrong but officially that's still rumour right? I know in this case it's a rumour that's pretty much considered fact but because of the suppression orders that still falls under speculation. Especially weird when they specifically talked about the suppression orders yet kept talking about what happened to Amara which is officially suppressed so the only way they could know about that is if they're treating rumours as fact
 

zedx

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Casefile just covered this crime and there was one thing that kept throwing me off. The podcast kept talking about Amara being sexually assaulted as if it was confirmed.

Correct me if I'm wrong but officially that's still rumour right? I know in this case it's a rumour that's pretty much considered fact but because of the suppression orders that still falls under speculation. Especially weird when they specifically talked about the suppression orders yet kept talking about what happened to Amara which is officially suppressed so the only way they could know about that is if they're treating rumours as fact
As far as I am aware the 'details' of what happened to the children are deemed 'sealed', never to be released as they are too graphic/awful. So yes must be rumors.
.....
EDIT -
ALSO -
According to Crime Investigation Australia, a judge ruled that the exact way in which Daniel, Amara and Katrina were killed to be sealed. In fact the crime has been called "One of the worst crimes in Western Australia" and details of the murders were withheld from the public as they were deemed too gruesome and horrific. The case was so heinous that "cries for the return of the death penalty could be heard echoing around the State".

Mitchell pleaded guilty to four counts of willful murder, and four of sexual assault......
So from this we can assume they were all sexualy assaulted??? or maybe not as he also committed necrophilia, which could be a separate charge?
 
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maskmcgee

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Casefile just covered this crime and there was one thing that kept throwing me off. The podcast kept talking about Amara being sexually assaulted as if it was confirmed.

Sure the details were sealed, but it's open court. People heard these details. They give a very subtle hint in the CIA doco.
"Amara is brutally attacked and killed. The supreme court of Western Australia has ordered that all details of the attack be kept secret."
"Katrina, mercifully, dies quickly"

'Died quickly' is a detail. The fact that All Details were sealed means it must be the most heinous crime imaginable.
 

SquiffyRae

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I’d demolish the house and put life size statues of Karen and her kids there instead.

I'm amazed the house is still standing. The long driveway off a side road off the Brand Hwy is probably enough to keep the ghouls who want to leer at it away but I can't imagine any real estate agent's gonna find too many people who would ever be willing to buy the house
 
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I'm amazed the house is still standing. The long driveway off a side road off the Brand Hwy is probably enough to keep the ghouls who want to leer at it away but I can't imagine any real estate agent's gonna find too many people who would ever be willing to buy the house

Someone on another thread here said there was people living in there, I don't know if renting or buying. I'm not overly sensitive but I'd be afraid there might be echoes or vibrations of fear and extreme violence bouncing off the walls in there for a long time, I couldn't live in it.

Some places you can walk in to and know straight away, something awful happened and you need to get out. I think that's probably one of those houses.
 

zedx

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Someone on another thread here said there was people living in there, I don't know if renting or buying. I'm not overly sensitive but I'd be afraid there might be echoes or vibrations of fear and extreme violence bouncing off the walls in there for a long time, I couldn't live in it.

Some places you can walk in to and know straight away, something awful happened and you need to get out. I think that's probably one of those houses.
Totally agree!! When we were looking for a new home, we attended a home open, soon as I entered the house I was overcome by extreme foreboding fear, by the time I got the kitchen I had to run out and so didn't see all the house. Don't know what happened at that house, but it took me weeks to get over that feeling! It was bizarre.
 

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