Case 183

The MacKenzie Family

In February 1993, a tragedy struck that would put a Western Australian town on the map for all the wrong reasons. 31-year-old single mother Karen MacKenzie and her three children, Daniel, Amara and Katrina were all sleeping peacefully when an intruder entered their home and brutally hacked the family to death with an axe. The murders devastated the community and came to be known as the Greenough Family Massacre. But who was responsible? 

Investigators considered all possibilities, including that the perpetrator could be a scorned lover, or that the murders could have been a revenge attack by a local criminal gang. But when Karen’s friend Bill Mitchell is also attacked, the truth that emerges is worse than anyone could have imagined.

CREDITS

 

Casefile Presents

 

EPISODE:

Research & writing – Elsha McGill

Creative direction – Milly Raso

Narration – Anonymous Host

 

MUSIC:

‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com

Audio production – Mike Migas 

Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn

 

OTHER:

Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska

RESOURCES

 

COURT RECORDS

William Patrick Mitchell VS the Queen

 

VIDEOS

Criminal Investigation Australia – The Greenough Family Massacre 

A Current Affair – Keep this monster behind bars

Sister’s Plea – 9 News Perth

 

ONLINE ARTICLES

Axe murderer William Patrick Mitchell ‘wiped out a quarter of my family tree’ – News.com.au 

Axe murderer William Mitchell refused parole over gravity of crime and risk to community – ABC News 

Axe murderer William Mitchell should not be able to apply for release, victim’s sister says – ABC News

Parole rejected for Greenough killer William Patrick Mitchell News.com.au 

Police probe ‘Greenough killer letter’ – News.com.au

Jail downgraded for Greenough axe killer  Sydney Morning Herald

‘Everything in life happens for a reason’ – Perth Now

 

NEWSPAPER ARCHIVES

Mother, three children killed – The Age

Drug links to slaughtered family – The Age

WA murders admitted – The Sydney Morning Herald

WA murders – The Sydney Morning Herald

Life for murders – The Sydney Morning Herald

Axe killer is sentenced to life in jail  The Age

Axe murder of family to die in jail  The Age

‘Throw away the prison keys’ – The Sunday Times

Death too quick a penalty: sister – The West Australian

 

WEBSITES

Australia’s Coral Coast

Aussie Towns

Wikipedia – Greenough

Western Australia

 

 

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