Family Background
Katherine Knight was born on October 24, 1955, in Tenterfield, New South Wales. Her family background was chaotic, marked by dysfunction and violence. Her mother, Barbara Roughan, was married to Jack Roughan and had four sons before beginning an adulterous relationship with Ken Knight, a coworker of her husband. Barbara and Ken eventually moved together, and their relationship was characterized by regular fighting and public brawls.
Early Childhood
Katherine was the younger of the twin girls born to Barbara and Ken. Her father was an alcoholic who openly used violence and intimidation against his wife, and her mother was often described as very aggressive. Katherine’s childhood was filled with turmoil and violence, exposed to sexual assault and physical brutality from different family members.
Education and Behavior
Knight’s education was marked by frequent outbursts of violence. She was a bully at school, though she could also be a model student when she wanted to be. Her ability to swing between good behavior and violent rage marked her relationships with teachers and peers alike.
Relationship with Parents
Her relationship with her father was particularly complex, filled with both fear and an odd respect or understanding. It’s believed that Knight was sexually abused by several members of her family, not including her father, which further complicated her feelings and behavior.
Early Signs of Violence
From a young age, Knight displayed unsettling signs of violence, such as strangling animals. Her relationship with her siblings was equally complicated, as she would shift between defending them fiercely and lashing out at them.
Influence on Later Life
Knight’s tumultuous childhood laid the groundwork for her adult life, characterized by intense, unstable relationships, violent outbursts, and a lack of empathy or understanding of social norms. Her conviction for the murder of her partner, John Price, in 2000, showed a continuation of the patterns established in her youth.
The details of Knight’s childhood are deeply intertwined with her later criminal activities, reflecting a pattern of abuse, aggression, and violence that was both inflicted upon her and perpetrated by her. Information may vary across sources, and understanding her fully might require a careful review of various accounts, including court documents, psychological assessments, and interviews with those who knew her personally.
Relationships
Katherine’s relationships were characterized by intense passion and violence. Her marriage to David Kellett in 1974 was troubled from the start. The violence escalated, and Katherine was known to have physically assaulted David on multiple occasions. The couple had one daughter but eventually separated.
Katherine then entered a relationship with David Saunders, a miner. Their relationship followed a similar pattern of passion and violence. Katherine’s possessiveness and aggression escalated to the point where she slit the throat of Saunders’ two-month-old dingo pup in front of him to demonstrate what would happen if he ever cheated on her. Saunders left her, but not before Katherine had assaulted him with a pair of scissors.
Her relationship with John Chillingworth was relatively calmer but still fraught with issues. They had a child together but separated after three years.
Katherine’s final and fatal relationship was with John Price, known as “Pricey.” Their relationship was again marked by violence and intense jealousy. Katherine’s behavior became increasingly erratic, and she even stabbed Price in the chest during an argument. Price’s attempt to leave her set the stage for the tragic event that would make Katherine infamous.
The Murder
On February 29, 2000, after an intense argument, Katherine stabbed Price to death while he was sleeping. The details of the crime scene were so horrific that first responders and investigators were left deeply disturbed.
Katherine had skinned Price’s body and hung the skin from a meat hook in the living room. She then decapitated him and cooked parts of his body, serving them up on plates with vegetables and gravy. The plates were set at the dining table, along with notes bearing the names of Price’s children. Thankfully, the children did not arrive home in time to see the scene.
The Trial
Katherine was arrested and charged with Price’s murder. Initially, she pleaded not guilty but later changed her plea to guilty, without providing any explanation or showing any remorse.
The details of the crime and Katherine’s background were laid bare during the trial. Psychiatric evaluations suggested a mix of borderline personality disorder and sadistic tendencies.
In November 2001, Justice O’Keefe sentenced Katherine to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. She became the first Australian woman to receive such a sentence.
Life in Prison
Katherine was imprisoned at the Silverwater Women’s Correctional Centre and later transferred to Mulawa Correctional Centre. Despite her violent past, she is known to have adapted well to prison life.
Inmates and guards describe her as well-behaved, and she has even taken on roles within the prison, such as working in the prison gardens. Her life sentence stands as a stark reminder of the chilling crime she committed and the complex and troubled person behind it.