On 29th February 2000, Katherine Knight committed an unspeakable act. A mother of four and a grandmother, she seduced and then stabbed John Price 37 times.
A former abattoir worker, she skinned him.
A loving partner, she cooked him with vegetables, making a soup with his head. Made gravy. Left him on plates for his family. Why?
Pricey was her de facto and he wanted out. She didn't like that.
Peter Lalor is a senior feature writer with the Daily Telegraph where he covered the Knight case. He has also reported for the Sunday Observer, Sunday Age, and Sun News Pictorial.
'There are murders and there are murders. There are bodies and there are bodies, and then there's what lies waiting behind the front door of the little brick house with its blinds drawn and air conditioner droning on, working against the oppressive Hunter Valley heat. A glimpse into the dark, cockroach corners of the soul. A lot of the blokes at the scene that day will never be the same.'
Book Review:
You can't possibly say that you've ever been looking forward to reading a book about a case like this, but I have had this book here since it was first published, and I've picked it up and read a little now and then since then. Frankly, the subject matter made me queasy.
But in the same way that the author wanted to know what on earth made Knight go so far over the top, ultimately, I was wondering the same thing. So I eventually stopped sooking and sat down and read this book.
It's no wonder that Katherine Knight is never to be released, and whilst the circumstances of her life are delved into in this book, you still wonder why or how it is that a woman could go so far over the top. So very very far over the top. I think BLOOD STAIN does give you an inkling into what can turn a woman into a killer. I'm not sure anyone could explain what would turn a woman into the sort of killer Kath Knight became. Interesting book about a very stomach turning case.
This is one of those true crime books that I've had here since it was published, and I've tried on a few occasions to pick it up - and the subject matter defeated me everytime.
Now I guess the question remains why on earth would you even want to read a book about such an horrific murderer. The answer has to be that I read these things to try to get an understanding. Sometimes it works, sometimes I'm still baffled.
