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[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
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and for a more detailed list of content warnings please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our
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website in 1991 the old London cuur was well known to the people of Portland a small Harborside City 350 km Southwest
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of Melbourne located on the corners of Julia Street and benting Street two of the main shopping strips in town their
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hair salon had been Servicing residents of the community for 20 years but it hadn't always been that way
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just a Stones Throw from Portland Bay the two-story Blu Stone building was built in
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1844 it had once served as a hotel called the old London Inn offering residential accommodation meeting rooms
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and a boarding stable the ground floor had since been converted to the hair salon and various
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office spaces while the upper level housed a den surgery despite the many changes the old
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London building had gone through over the years it retained its original Georgian era charm and was still
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considered one of the most distinguished buildings in Portland 49-year-old CLA acox could be
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found working 2 days a week at the old London cuur she was incredibly well-liked around town with her warm and
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generous nature affording her a loyal client base her work days were relatively uneventful save for the odd
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piece of town gossip and more recently petty theft around April 1991 the owner of the
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salon had arrived at work to discover that a chair behind the reception desk had been overturned and approximately
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$30 in coins had been stolen from the register the salon doors were all locked and there were no signs of a break in
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police were notified but there was little they could do and it was brushed off as a minor
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incident a few weeks later on the afternoon of Wednesday April 17 1991 CLA was working alone when she turned around
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to find an unfamiliar long-haired man standing behind her his presence in the salon hadn't triggered the Bell which
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was attached to the front door handle giving cla a significant fright the man didn't have an
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appointment but he requested that CLA give him a trim something about his eyes and the way he carried himself
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completely unnerved CLA as they spoke the man made several derogatory and abusive comments telling
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CLA that he didn't like hairdresses he eventually left without getting a haircut as soon as he was out of sight
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CLA locked the salon and closed up shop for the day the interaction completely rattled
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her CLA was typically a calm and confident person but when she told friends about the incident her demeanor
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changed completely she described the woodb customer as a horrible man with creepy eyes and said she'd had never
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been so frightened in her life out of sight didn't necessarily mean out of mind just before the man left he had
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warned of his intentions to return [Music] roughly 2 weeks after the encounter with
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the horrible man May 3 1991 started out like any other Friday for CLA after a typical morning at home she made lunch
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for her husband Peter and one of his friends before leaving for her shift at the
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salon she brought with her a jumper she was in the process of knitting for her soon to be born
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grandson cla's daughter lived in Melbourne and was about to give birth to her first baby CLA had been diligently
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saving to visit her new grandson and shower him with gifts she'd managed to save $500 which she carried around in an
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old wallet and she worked on her knitting project whenever she got a spare moment between
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clients CLA acox had lived in Portland for 15 years with a population of roughly 9,000 residents it was not only
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considered a safe place to live the laid-back lifestyle was also a perfect fit for cla's
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personality she was passionate about three things above all else her family animals and gardening the aco's three
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children had since flown The Nest giving CLA more time to focus on her Hobbies work CLA had three appointments
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scheduled for Friday afternoon one of which was with her regular client 58-year-old Margaret
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Penny Margaret and her husband of 36 years had relocated to Portland only 7 months prior having lived in town
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previously before moving elsewhere to raise their two children Margaret was a house proud woman who prided herself on
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her appearance as such she had a recurring appointment with Clare acox every Friday afternoon to have her hair
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set and styled on this particular day Margaret was also scheduled to have her hair
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colored in preparation for a week-long trip visiting her daughter Jacqueline in Melbourne the following
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morning for several weeks Margaret and her husband Robert had been looking after Jacqueline's 5-year-old daughter
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Alice not her real name Margaret was a doting grandmother and she spent the morning entertaining out at home while
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Robert did some yard work and ran errands around town Margaret usually took Alice with
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her to the salon to have her hair braided but on this particular day Alice was going to stay home to help Robert
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build a swing in the backyard as Margaret's 2 p.m. appointment approached she was running
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behind schedule this stressed her out as she prided herself on being punctual and
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organized by the time Robert moved the car onto the street for her Margaret was in a hurry she rushed off making a quick
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stop at the ocean peer te rooms the cafe was just a few buildings down from the old London
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cuur Margaret had made plans to meet her friend Shirley endersby for afternoon tea there after her hair appointment at
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3:15 worried that the staff would stop preparing food by that time Margaret ducked in to pre-order some sandwiches
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before hurrying down the street to the salon the old London building backed onto a
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communal Courtyard shared by multiple businesses this space could be accessed via large iron gates which were kept
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open during office hours at around 3:30 two men who worked in the office across the courtyard heard
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high-pitched screams coming from outside they peered out the window one of them saw the rear screen
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door to the salon fling open as the wooden door behind it slammed close the screams then stopped as
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quickly as they'd started assuming it was just kids running around the office workers didn't
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give it any more [Music] thought at 3:40 p.m. Shirley endersby sat watching the clock at the ocean Pier
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t rooms Margaret Penny was 25 minutes late this was incredible unlike her Shirley decided to duck to the old
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London Cur to see what the holdup was when she arrived at the salon and pushed on the front door she was surprised to
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find it was locked this was strange given that the salon wasn't scheduled to close until
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later in the evening Shirley knocked loudly there was no answer she knew Margaret couldn't be too
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far away she could see her car parked on benting street near by Shirley walked to the Courtyard at
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the rear of the salon but the back door was locked too Shirley banged on the door there was no
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response Shirley returned to the t- rooms keeping an eye out for Margaret on the
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streets by this point it was nearing 400 p.m. it was completely out of character
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for Margaret peny to be 45 minutes late and surely was unsure what to do next she got in her car as she drove
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past the old London Cur she saw that the lights were on inside Shirley wondered whether she had
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gotten the times mixed up perhaps Margaret had said 4:15 and was still Mida appointment maybe she'd brought her
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granddaughter Alice with her and the young girl had locked the door while playing
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around Shirley drove the short distance to her house and called Margaret husband
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Robert Penny Robert was home with Alice he recalled that Margaret had rushed off to
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her hair appointment in a hurry but he hadn't heard from her since Shirley drove back into town
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keeping an eye out for her friend she checked in a couple of shops before walking back to the
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salon by this point it was 4:15 p.m. both the front and back doors were still locked and again Shirley's not
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knocks went unanswered as she passed the window to the shampoo room at the rear of the
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building she noticed that the lights were off assuming this meant the salon was closed for the day she drove home once
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more and called the salon owner K Edwards to see what was going on when Kay heard that the salon was
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locked she was puzzled she worked at the salon most days except Wednesday morning
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and Friday afternoon when CLA was rosted on Kay knew that CLA had several appointments scheduled for that
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afternoon including one for 4:30 p.m. it made no sense that the salon doors would
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be locked or the lights to the shampoo room would be off both the front and back doors were always left open during
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business hours as clients used both entrances and the lights to the shampoo room were always kept
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on Kay hung up her call with Shirley and dialed the salon twice the phone rang out both times she made the 2minute
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drive to see for herself what was going on as soon as Kay arrived via the rear Courtyard she knew something wasn't
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quite right the screen door which was always kept closed was wide open while the solid wooden door was
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locked Kay walked around to the front entrance and unlocked the main door the salon had three rooms a reception
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area the main hairdressing space and a small shampoo room when Kay entered the reception area she noticed several items
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were out of place a stool behind the front desk had been turned on its side the cash
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register was closed but a 20 cent transaction had been rung up on the till this alone was odd nothing in the
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salon cost 20 cents Kay peered into the main Salon which was separated down the middle by a
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mirrored partition with three chairs on either side one chair had been moved from its usual spot and three magazines
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sat in its place a trolley that usually sat against the back wall had been moved
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to the archway leading to the shampoo room Kay was too afraid to venture any further she ran upstairs to the dental
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surger and told the receptionist there's something strange downstairs the receptionist agreed to
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accompany Kay to check it out as the two women entered the main Salon Kay noticed
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a black handbag lying on the floor with its contents strewn about her anxiety peaked the two women apprehensively made
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their way towards the entrance of the shampoo room it was a small dark space Bas
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positioned towards the rear of the building containing three black chairs and a hair washing
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Basin that's when Kay saw it two pairs of legs sprawled out on the ground Junior Constable Tim aox had just
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arrived at work and was Manning the desk at the Portland Police Station when a colleague told him that something major
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was unfolding down the street two women had been found dead in the old London quu Constable aox
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froze while Portland had its fair share of smaller mostly drug related crimes murders were unheard of worse still
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Clare acox was his mother and he knew that she worked at the old London guur on Friday
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afternoons as Constable aox continued to field calls in a State of Shock investigators examined the
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scene just inside the doorway to the shampoo room the bodies of Margaret peny and CLA acox lay head to toe covered
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with black hairdressing capes blood pulled on the floor around them Margaret lay on her stomach with
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her throat slit there were numerous stab wounds and abrasions to her back and abdomen and five of her ribs were
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fractured her hands rested at her chest bound together with a black taw a gray electrical cord had been used
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to bind her ankles together and the cord was also looped around her neck and tied
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to a nearby chair CLA acox lay alongside her like Margaret cla's throat had been slit and
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her torso was peppered with stub wounds and abrasions although CLA had fewer wounds
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than Margaret hers were significantly deeper a clear WRA had been tied around her neck and the electrical cord of a
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curling wand had been Loosely tied to a nearby chair the contents of cla's handbag had
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been dumped in the nearby Basin while the contents of Margaret's bag was scattered near the shampoo room
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door both women were fully dressed except for Margaret's eyeglasses and one of Claire's shoes which were lying
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nearby while there were no signs of sexual assault it was clear that a struggle had taken place both women were
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covered in defensive wounds and blood spatter covered the walls the forensic evidence indicated
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that the women had been attacked while forced to sit in the shampooing chairs they eventually dropped forward
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and bled out on the floor where the killer covered their bodies a majority of the injuries had
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been inflicted using a sharp edged knife which was nowhere to be seen But on Margaret its back and chest
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were also a series of narrow round puncture wounds the weapon that caused to these
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injuries wasn't immediately clear what was obvious was that this had been a coldblooded and vious attack
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unlike anything many of the officers had ever seen before all up the perpetrator had taken
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off with almost $900 in cash this included the $500 that CLA had been saving for her grandson and
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approximately $180 that Margaret had been carrying money had also been taken from
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the salon till along with a check and a few miscellaneous items but this didn't necessarily mean
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that the attack had been motivated by robbery if the perpetrator had simply wanted money it seemed odd that they'
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gone to such extreme lengths both Claire and Margaret were also wearing several items of valuable
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jewel y Margaret alone wore four gold rings one of which contained a diamond but the killer had made no attempt to
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remove them inquiries quickly revealed that both Claire and Margaret were well-liked
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upstanding citizens with no known enemies both were happily married and each of their husbands had aliis that
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checked out Peter acox was playing golf with friends at the time of the crime while
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Robert Penny was home with his granddaughter who would want to kill these two harmless innocent women and
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why as Robert Penny expressed when delivered the news how can you go to the hairdresser
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and not come back the police soon learned about Clare aco's recent encounter with the
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so-called horrible man there was no mention of him in the salon's appointment book
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although the old London Cur did take the occasional male customer their clientele
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were predominantly women other than the man's horrible eyes the only thing CLA had mentioned about
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his appearance was that he had long hair identifying him would be no easy task but for investigators finding the
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horrible man was a priority they considered the possibility that he could have visited Clare acox at
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the salon to assess the location and to scope out the building layout his comment about disliking hairdresses
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could be significant was this just an off-color remark or did he have a genuine hatred
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of this profession and deliver on his threat to return the only discernable clue that
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the offender had left behind was a partial bloody shoe print found near the entrance of the shampoo room the
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defensive wounds on CLA and Margaret's hand suggested the killer might have been injured during the attack but it
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was difficult to distinguish between the large quantities of blood found at the crime
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scene inquiries were made with hospitals and Health Care Facilities but no one had presented seeking treatment for
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carts given that the murders had occurred within a salon hair samples were everywhere the salon was painstakingly
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vacuumed and the contents held in evidence but identifying what whether any of the hair belonged to the killer
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was near impossible hundreds of customers who had recently visited the salon were asked to
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volunteer their fingerprints to be eliminated from the investigation when each print was
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accounted for only one remained a partial Print near the front door while this was a promising lead it
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didn't contain any blood and investigators couldn't say for sure whether the print belonged to the Killer
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CLA acox had tendered to two clients earlier in the afternoon neither of them had noticed anything unusual about her
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demeanor nor had they seen any suspicious activity at the salon one recalled that a man had
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arrived via the rear door and asked CLA something but the client had only heard the man's voice and didn't hear what he
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asked or get a look at him a friend of Claire's had driven past pass to the old London Cur at around
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3:05 CLA was standing on the opposite side of the street holding her bag of knitting the two acknowledged one
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another with a quick wave this was the last time she was seen alive investigators deduced that while
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Margaret's hair was setting CLA had likely run across the street to retrieve the knitting from her car this would
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have only taken her a couple of minutes based on the time that the bodies were discovered this meant the
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crime occurred sometime between 3:05 and 4:30 p.m. two other people had gone past the
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salon during that crucial 90-minute period Margaret's friend Shirley endersby at both 3:45 and 4:15 and
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another of cla's clients at 4:30 neither had seen or heard anything suspicious two office workers had heard
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pitched screams at 3:30 p.m. but they hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary a dentist who worked upstairs
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also recalled hearing the sound of a woman crying out in disgust but he couldn't be sure exactly what
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time investigators could only speculate over what occurred inside the old London
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cuur they believed the killer had acted alone he likely entered the salon via the front door possibly while CLA was
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was retrieving the knitting from her car perhaps he intended to rob the place and was caught off guard upon finding
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Margaret inside he could have ordered Margaret to the shampoo room bound her to the chair
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and then overpowered CLA upon her return or maybe the killer had burst in unexpectedly ordering both women to the
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shampoo room where he launched his attack while it couldn't be determined how long the women were held for it was
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it was possible that the killer had spent up to 90 minutes on the scene cla's 4:30 appointment had arrived via
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the front door and seen nothing making it likely the killer fled by the salon's rear
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door there were only two possible Escape Routes either the killer had run through
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a dozen backyards to make a stealth getaway via a back lane or he'd had to cross at least two main streets during
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peak hour The Savage attack had happened in broad daylight at one of the busiest
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times of the day our school was located just a few hundred meters down the road and The crucial time period had occurred
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when students were knocking off for the weekend dozens of parents and children passed right by the old London quu
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around the time the attack was thought to have taken place given the amount of blood at the
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crime scene it was indisputable that whoever had killed Claire and Margaret would have been covered in blood yet no
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one had witnessed anything suspicious with no concrete sightings of the perpetrator investigators queried
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who could be motivated to pull off such a violent and Brazen crime was this a random opportunistic
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attack or had someone deliberately targeted the two women investigators on the AO peny case had to
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consider all angles given that Margaret had a recurring appointment with CLA every
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Friday afternoon it was possible that the killer could have known this and visited the salon with the intention of
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carrying out the attack alternatively investigators also considered the possibility that the
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salon owner K Edwards could have been the intended target and Margaret and CLA were simply in the wrong place at the
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wrong time time but K2 was a well-liked l abiding local with no enemies or nefarious
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connections the possibility that any of the three women could have been specifically targeted just didn't make
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sense in the days before computers each piece of information had to be recorded by hand and then prioritized
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accordingly the police quickly became overwhelmed pressure was on to solve the case quickly but with very little
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evidence to go on one investigator said they were quote shifting bricks and hoping something turns
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up known criminals were looked into and checks were made with psychiatric hospitals around Victoria but no Prime
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suspects emerged an alert was placed on the check number stolen from the salon during the
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attack if an attempt was made to cash the check various Banks were told to contact the
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authorities an extensive search of the area surrounding the old London building came up dry but dozens of knives were
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recovered across the Portland foreshore and surrounding bushes each was ruled out as the murder
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weapon with investigators concluding they had most likely been thrown away or lost by
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fishermen this wasn't unusual for a Seaside Town Portland Harbor was a busy space and Commercial Fishing was one of
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the town's main industries the deep sea port facilitated a direct link between the ports of
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Melbourne and Adelaide and was a hub for international shipping it also paved the
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way for a growing drug problem in the local community investigators therefore considered the possibility that Claire
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and Margaret's killer could have come from one of the ships on the day of the murders only one
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ship was docked in the harbor the MV port Port interestingly the MV Portland had
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also been docked at the same time that Clare acox encountered the soall horrible
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man the crew members were looked into including their whereabouts on Friday May 3 no obvious suspects emerged but police
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couldn't discount the possibility that the harbor might have played a role yachts and small boats could dock
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in Portland Bay without any formal registration it was therefore possible that a lone
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yachtsman or fishermen had stopped by Portland committed the murders and then sailed away without anyone attributing
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them to the area one of Portland's other major industries was the local abbatar at peak times the abattoir
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employed upwards of a thousand staff it wasn't unusual to see an off-duty abire worker walking around
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town with blood on their clothes the hairdress and murders could have been committed by an abattoir worker who was
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skilled with knives maybe he had a particular hatra of hairdressers or older women or had simply
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snapped another theory was that the murders could have been retaliation while neither Clare acox nor
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Margaret Penny had any enemies rumors swelled that someone might be out to get revenge on cla's son Constable Tim acox
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as a cop he might have angered the wrong person through his line of work there were Whispers that Tim had been involved
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in a serious drug raid in the weeks before the murders but Tim shut down the retaliation Theory
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completely he hadn't been involved in a drug bust or anything that would single him out Tim was also married with an
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infant son if someone was out to get him it seemed strange that they' Target his
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mother and an inocent bystander investigators took the possibility of a grudge killing
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seriously and looked into the criminals Tim ACO had crossed paths with on the job but no tires were
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drawn for one member of the penny family Margaret's death wasn't the first time their life had been affected by
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murder just 8 months prior to the Portland slangs a couple had been murdered in a violent home invasion in
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the Victorian town of St Andrews Margaret's daughter Jacqueline was driving to her shift at a pub in St
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Andrews when she passed the slain coup's home oblivious to the horrors that had just taken place inside Jacqueline
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noticed a red Ute go by she recognized the driver as a customer who frequented the pub where
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she worked when Jacqueline heard about the St Andrews murders she was reluctant to
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tell the police what she'd seen the customer in the red UD was a heavy drug user who had an extensive criminal
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history Jacqueline didn't want to get involved or be wrongly viewed as casting suspicion but she knew she had to do the
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right thing and eventually made a report by the time Margaret Penny and Clare acox were killed the St Andrews
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murder remained unsolved but the driver of the red Ute was a prime suspect investigators considered whether
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Margaret Penny could have been targeted as revenge for her daughter cooperating with the police in relation to the St
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Andrews case they looked into it but the suspect had a verified Alibi for the time
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Margaret and CLA were killed it seemed an unfortunate coincidence that Jacqueline's life had
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been touched by these events within such a short period of time as the days turned to weeks with no
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arrest in the Portland case Community fears heightened the once laidback Town had
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changed overnight women became too afraid to leave their homes alone some were even
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too afraid to hang out the washing and avoided social events entirely many turned to self-defense
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classes While others took their young children to stay elsewhere locals who once left their
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doors unlocked had security systems installed with sales increasing tfold Portland's former mayor Robert
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Mensel told reporters we all know one another when somebody gets hurt the whole town gets
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hurt the host of a community radio station told listeners we must all realize that
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Portland has changed the words nothing happens in Portland OR it won't happen to me are phrases that we can no longer
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afford to water it was a sentiment shared at Clare aco's funeral the priest overseeing her
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service told the Gathering MERS we can still barely believe it has happened it leaves you numb and
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devastated you ask yourself why Portland why then why at all we are accustomed to
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such acts taking place in Chicago or New York but now they have spread to our beautiful small City
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for cla's husband Peter mending the community Spirit was a priority he told one investigator nothing we can do will
00:32:38
bring CLA or Margaret back but we can do a lot to put Portland Back Together Peter and CLA had loved their
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laid-back life in Portland Peter believed the town's folk were the best in Australia but as the years ticked by and
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his wife's murder remained unsolved the town Peter so deeply cherished became a constant reminder of his torment and
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suffering he relocated to Queensland but never stopped missing CLA for a second telling the warnable Standard
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newspaper I still get into the car and sit there waiting for someone else to get
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in by the time 3 years had passed with no breakthroughs in the case the investigation was restarted from scratch
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the new detectives assigned to the case were eager to speak with Portland's former mayor Robert
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menel in the initial stages of the investigation Robert had reported an incident that occurred on the afternoon
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of the murders at around 441 Robert said he was driving past to the old London Cur when
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he noticed a man running from the direction of the rear Courtyard the man was carrying a small
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satchel and looked to be aged between 25 and 30 years old Robert stopped his car
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at The Pedestrian crossing the man raced directly by continuing past the nearby Richmond
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henty Hotel and then onto the foreshore until Robert lost sight of him at the time the police had mostly
00:34:16
palmed this sighting off because Robert hadn't noticed any blood on the Running Man the time of the sighting was also
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questionable by 4:41 p.m. CLA and Margaret's bodies had already been discovered police were more interested
00:34:32
in the sightings that occurred within the crucial 90minut window between 3:05 and 4:30
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p.m. with the passing of time detectives were curious to know more about this sighting forly interviewed for the first
00:34:49
time Robert Mensel said the report was wrong he'd actually seen the Running Man sometime between 3:30 and 400 p.m.
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Robert still remembered what the man looked like he was approximately 170 cm tall and of medium build he was white
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with a fair complexion collar length dark hair and wearing dark rimmed round glasses Robert helped create a photo fit
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sketch which was released to the public despite a longstanding $100,000 reward for information no one was able
00:35:25
to identify the Running Man by 1995 approximately 5,000 people had been interviewed in relation to the
00:35:35
double homicide yet not a single arrest was made 22 Witnesses were called during a
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one-day inquest into the murders of Margaret and CLA but the coroner was unable to identify a motive for a
00:35:49
suspect they simply concluded that the two women had been stabbed to death by a person
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unknown a former Portland resident named Megan was living in Canada when she heard about the result of the
00:36:04
inquest she obtained a copy of the Running Man sketch and as soon as she laid eyes on the bespectacled face that
00:36:11
triggered a memory on Friday May 3 1991 Megan had been walking her dog about 300 M from
00:36:20
the old London building in a Street behind the Richmond henty Hotel she crossed paths with a
00:36:27
foot man who stopped to Pat her dog as she did so Megan noticed that the man had what appeared to be blood stains
00:36:35
wiped on his jeans when Megan heard that two women had been murdered nearby she called the
00:36:43
police to report the sighting but never received a response she therefore assumed the sighting wasn't
00:36:51
significant but looking at the suspect sketch created by Robert Mensel Megan was certain that had both seen the same
00:36:59
man she contacted the authorities in Australia who showed her a photo lineup of potential
00:37:06
suspects given the amount of time that had passed Megan couldn't identify any of the individuals with
00:37:14
certainty investigators weren't entirely sure what to make of Megan's statement moments after her encounter with the
00:37:21
Barefoot man Megan said she saw police and paramedics gathered outside of the old London qu
00:37:28
F investigators ultimately concluded that her encounter had occurred too late in the sequence of events to hold
00:37:36
significance it was also possible that her memory had been influenced over time given the varying times of Robert
00:37:44
Menzel's account investigators ultimately doubted The Running Man was involved with the
00:37:50
killings regardless this mystery man was still of Interest having been around the
00:37:56
area at the time the crime occurred it was possible he held crucial information and he wasn't the only
00:38:06
[Music] one Gordon Smith had grown up in Portland he'd been an outgoing student and a confident athlete until his late
00:38:16
teens when he accepted an apprenticeship with the Army within 2 years a significant change in Gordon's Behavior
00:38:23
led to him being diagnosed with schizophrenia and depression he was medically discharged and spent
00:38:30
the next few years struggling to accept his diagnosis Gordon turned to drugs to cope this interfered with his medication
00:38:40
and led to further behavioral changes Gordon's family noted that he could become withdrawn uptight and
00:38:49
aggressive at 240 on the afternoon that Clare acox and Margaret peny were killed
00:38:55
an old classmate of Gordon had spotted the then 25-year-old about 200 M from the old
00:39:02
London he appeared to be mildly drug affected the police were made aware of Gordon Smith's presence near the crime
00:39:10
scene not because he was particularly suspicious but in case he witnessed something of
00:39:17
Interest they knew he couldn't be the horrible man that Clare ACO had encountered Claire and Gordon knew one
00:39:24
another and she would have easily identified him when her friends about the experience when questioned Gordon gave
00:39:33
vague answers he couldn't give an exact time for his movements only saying that he'd walked the 2 and A2 kmers home and
00:39:41
fallen asleep with no one to verify Gordon's Alibi he remained a person of interest
00:39:47
but there was never anything to definitively tie him to the crime then in April 1998 came an
00:39:55
unexpected revelation the now 32-year-old Gordon had always been close with his cousin Russell
00:40:03
Smith the two were the same age and had both gravitated towards drugs in their adult
00:40:10
years while they'd always looked out for each other with almost seven years passing since Clare acox and Margaret
00:40:17
Penny were killed Russell had something he wanted to get off his chest Russell contacted police and told
00:40:25
them that on the day after the attack back at the old London Cur he received a phone call from
00:40:31
Gordon Gordon allegedly confessed that he was responsible for the attack at the hair salon and needed help disposing of
00:40:39
his bloodstained clothing Russell lived in Melbourne at the time but traveled straight to
00:40:44
Portland and allegedly helped his cousin throw the evidence off a cliff and out to
00:40:50
sea the police were wary of Russell's claims he had an extensive criminal history of his own and it was possible
00:40:58
he was making the story up in the hopes of securing a lighter sentence for unrelated
00:41:04
charges regardless his report was taken seriously Gordon Smith was put under the
00:41:12
microscope further attempts to verify his Alibi continued to fail and no incriminating evidence
00:41:19
surfaced despite some drug related charges he still had no criminal convictions it was possible that Gordon
00:41:28
Smith had been viewed suspiciously due to his mental health issues and drug use police also considered whether
00:41:36
Russell Smith was involved in the murders and was throwing his cousin under the bus to deflect attention from
00:41:43
himself Russell had a WRA sheet dating back to his teenage years including a jail sentence for his participation in
00:41:50
the unprovoked Fatal group bashing of a 46-year-old man he too suffered from various mental
00:41:57
health issues exacerbated by ELCA drug use whatever the truth the renewed police interest took a toll on Gordon
00:42:06
Smith in the wake of the hairdresser murders the initial public scrutiny had fueled his
00:42:13
paranoia under scrutiny again 7 years later Gordon's mental health suffered and in June he moved to Melbourne to
00:42:21
stay with a relative 10 days later the caretaker at a City Church found Gordon's body
00:42:28
hanging from inside the cathedral he didn't leave a suicide note by September 1998 Russell Smith was
00:42:37
being held in remand for various offenses days after his 33rd birthday he used a shoelace to hang himself from the
00:42:46
bunk bed of his cell with that the inquiries into both men reached an inconclusive
00:42:56
end former journalist turned school teacher Leone Wallace had been fascinated by the
00:43:03
Portland murders ever since she heard about the case in 1991 as the years continue to tick by
00:43:10
with no resolution to the case Leone started researching the crime herself she spent years gathering
00:43:17
information and interviewing investigators family members and towns folk her hard work led to the 2012
00:43:25
publication of a comprehensive book titled horrible man which publicly revealed intricate details about the
00:43:32
hairdresser murders for the very first time Leon hoped the book might compel someone with information to come forward
00:43:40
and finally get some resolution for the families during her inquiries Leon received a text message from a
00:43:49
mysterious Source who claimed I know who killed those two women I have a story that has never been
00:43:58
told the sender then seemingly had a change of heart and went silent when Leon finally managed to get
00:44:06
through to them she found it was a woman the woman said she was concerned about the repercussions of speaking up
00:44:14
and no longer wanted to discuss it whether the woman had a genuine lead remains unknown but either way the
00:44:22
publication of horrible men propelled the case back into the news and led to renewed public
00:44:29
interest in 2013 the investigation into the murders of Clare acox and Margaret Penney was reopened once
00:44:37
again with fresh eyes new investigators trolled through the available evidence and thousands of reports on
00:44:45
file the more they learned it became clear that one particular individual had been curiously
00:44:56
overlooked within days of the Portland hair salon murders the husbands of both Claire and
00:45:04
Margaret had been ruled out as suspects Peter ACO and Robert peny had confirmed Alibi and there was no
00:45:12
evidence implicating either of the men in the crimes both claimed that their marriages
00:45:18
were loving and stable however as the new investigators looking at the case in 2013 discovered
00:45:26
this wasn't NE necessarily true the pennies had two adult children a daughter named Jacqueline and a son
00:45:34
named Anthony in the wake of the crimes Anthony was tormented while he never witnessed any
00:45:41
violence between his parents he recalled that their marriage was particularly volatile when Anthony was growing up
00:45:49
Margaret and Robert argued often his mother had once confided in him that Robert had quote beaten her black and
00:45:57
blue Anthony was also aware that his father had cheated on his mother at least once at the time of the murders Anthony
00:46:07
was living overseas while he wasn't aware of any problems in his parents' marriage he
00:46:12
felt that his mother was unhappy every time Anthony spoke to Margaret she mentioned feeling alone and
00:46:20
isolated but it wasn't just this past behavior that concerned Anthony after Margaret and CLA were
00:46:27
murdered Robert Penny told the police that he didn't have access to a car at the time the crime was
00:46:33
committed the couple shared a vehicle and Margaret had taken it to her hair appointment but this wasn't
00:46:42
true while Anthony was overseas he' left his car with his parents urging them to
00:46:47
drive it whenever they needed back in 1991 Anthony called CLA aco's son Constable Tim ACO to get this
00:46:57
information off his chest Tim reported it to the original investigators working on the case but
00:47:04
they saw no reason to suspect Robert penny for starters at the time of the murders Robert was a 59-year-old retiree
00:47:13
with an unblemished record it didn't seem likely that he was capable of pulling off such a violent
00:47:19
and frit attack especially while taking care of his 5-year-old granddaughter secondly Robert penny was
00:47:27
known around Portland it seemed absurd to think that he could have driven to the middle of town on a busy afternoon
00:47:34
committed the brutal crime and then gone straight home without attracting any attention one detective remarked if
00:47:43
you're going to kill a member of your family you wouldn't do it in the middle of the afternoon you do it in the
00:47:48
confines of your own home and concoct a story or accident or otherwise a search of the Penny's home
00:47:57
after the bodies were discovered hadn't uncovered any blood or anything else incriminating furthermore when
00:48:04
Margaret's friend Shirley endersby had called the Penny's home looking for Margaret at around 400 p.m. Robert had
00:48:11
answered the phone this proved he was home during at least some of the crucial 90-minute time
00:48:17
frame in which the murders were believed to have occurred but the couple's son wasn't the
00:48:24
only one with suspicions one of Robert Penny's nephews had also called the police in 1992 to suggest
00:48:32
that they look into Robert more closely during his working years Robert had been the managing director of a
00:48:39
successful car park company this led to him and Margaret temporarily living in Southeast
00:48:46
Asia according to the Penny's nephew Robert had Shady business dealings and some quote skeletons in his closet from
00:48:55
overseas [Music] additionally questions had been raised about Robert's behavior following
00:49:02
Margaret's death some believed that he didn't grieve appropriately in their view he seemed to be handling things
00:49:10
incredibly well for someone whose wife had just been killed so brutally the owner of a Portland General
00:49:17
Store told 60 Minutes that on the weekend after the murders Robert Penny came into his store he was in a jovial
00:49:25
mood and allegedly asked for something that could help remove blood stains the shop owner found Robert's
00:49:32
Behavior so unusual that he called the police to report the encounter but they never followed him
00:49:39
up investigators ended up interviewing Robert penny in 1993 and didn't uncover anything tying him to the
00:49:47
murders regardless suspicions remained and were heightened further when Robert chose not to attend the inquest in 1995
00:49:58
while Robert peny might not have killed Margaret and CLA himself some wondered whether it was possible he'd hired
00:50:04
someone to do the deed on his behalf for Margaret and Robert's daughter Jacqueline having her life
00:50:14
touched by murder twice within an 8-month time span took its toll months after her mother was killed
00:50:21
Jacqueline still held concerns about being a potential witness to the St Andrews cave
00:50:28
she wondered whether her mother could have been targeted as a message to keep a jackal inquired about the individual
00:50:34
in the red you she saw near the scene Jacqueline told her father that she feared for the safety of her own
00:50:42
family according to Jacqueline Robert Penny turned to her and said well why don't we just get him hit referring to
00:50:51
the suspect in the red Ute Jacqueline was shocked she told her dad she didn't know how to do such a
00:50:59
thing Robert allegedly responded well I do from that point on Jacqueline suspected that her father was involved
00:51:11
in her mother's death 4 years after the murders Jacqueline attended a seance with some
00:51:17
friends she asked the guiding Spirit who was responsible for killing her mother the response was that her father had
00:51:25
paid a hitman named Graham $20,000 to get rid of his wife so he could be with another
00:51:31
[Music] woman unlike Peter acox who never remarried following cla's death Robert
00:51:38
Penny moved on quickly within just months of Margaret's murder Robert moved in with a family friend named
00:51:46
Kim the two soon entered a romantic relationship and were married in September of
00:51:53
1992 Robert vehemently denied that he'd had an affair while Margaret was still alive he claimed that Kim had comforted
00:52:02
him in the wake of Margaret's death and the relationship blossomed from there but one of Kim's neighbors claimed
00:52:09
to have seen some affection between Robert and Kim as early as April 1991 the month before Margaret was
00:52:19
killed the exact date that Robert and Kim became intimate was unclear but the speed at which Robert REM married
00:52:27
definitely raised some eyebrows it also added further weight to some strange comments that Robert had
00:52:33
made shortly after his wife's death whoever had killed Clare acox and Margaret Penny had done so with a knife
00:52:42
however they'd also used a smaller narrow object to inflict puncture wounds into Margaret's back and
00:52:48
chest this object had never been identified but police had considered the possibility that it could have been
00:52:55
either a pair of scissors or a tail comb used by hairdressers a tail comb is a plastic comb with a tapered metal
00:53:05
handle the metal portion is used to separate and part hair for styling and it has a sharp tip that could
00:53:12
potentially Pierce through skin one such comb had been found on one of the chairs in the shampoo room at the
00:53:19
old London quu but the Pathologists who conducted Margaret's autopsy were ultimately unable to determine what
00:53:26
caused the puncture marks to her body police had made no mention of the comb when breaking the news of the
00:53:34
murders to Robert Penny or Peter acox however when Robert told Jacqueline that her mother had been killed he
00:53:41
allegedly said that a knife and a hair comb were used he then allegedly told his son that
00:53:48
the killer had used a knife scissors and at the sharp end of a metal comb Robert made a similar comment when
00:53:56
visiting Peter acox shortly after while also saying something along the lines of
00:54:02
at least CLA died very quickly this raised the question how could Robert Penny have known these
00:54:10
things unless he was directly involved with the crime Robert Alibi for the time of the
00:54:19
crime was that he was at home making a swing with his 5-year-old granddaughter Alice by the time invest tigators
00:54:26
reexamined the case in 2013 Alice was aged in her early 20s she provided a statement for the
00:54:34
first time recalling that on the afternoon of Friday May 3 1991 Margaret had tried to take her to the hair
00:54:43
salon Robert disagreed and an argument ensued with the couple fighting over Alice like a tug of
00:54:50
war given that two decades had passed investigators weren't sure how much weight to put on
00:54:57
statement but if there was any truth to it it implied that Robert had fought to keep his granddaughter at home that day
00:55:04
because he knew what Horrors were about to unfold at the salon what if he had hired a Hitman
00:55:10
after all it would explain why Margaret had received more injuries than CLA perhaps a contract killer had snuck
00:55:19
into the salon while CLA had ducked out to grab the knitting from her car they might have only intended to to kill
00:55:26
Margaret not realizing that CLA would be back so soon with the suspicious elements
00:55:33
stacking up against Robert peny the decision was made to place covert listening devices in his home and on his
00:55:40
phone several attempts were made to engage Robert in conversations that might lead him to reveal something
00:55:47
incriminating but he didn't say a single word that implied a new level of guilt in 2014 Robert Penny vol arily
00:55:56
agreed to a series of police interviews he admitted he'd been unfaithful to Margaret while they living
00:56:03
overseas but strongly denied having an affair leading up to her death Robert outright rejected claims
00:56:11
there had been any animosity between the couple in 1991 saying that he loved his
00:56:16
wife dearly and was devastated by her death he acknowledged that his marriage to Kim happened quickly but explained
00:56:24
that his Minister had advised him to get on with his life and put himself back together the interviewing detectives
00:56:32
asked how Robert could have possibly known that a tail cone was potentially used to drink the
00:56:38
attack he said he couldn't remember but that he'd possibly been told by someone or had arrived at the conclusion
00:56:46
himself as for the alleged comments about hiring a Hitman Robert flat out denied this
00:56:53
saying I didn't know any bloody Hitman he urged investigators to check his bank statements if they didn't believe him
00:57:02
saying he had never associated with Outlaws when asked if he was involved with Margaret's death in any way Robert
00:57:10
became exasperated he questioned how anyone could think he had a motive for killing
00:57:15
his wife saying we had a wonderful 36 years Christ it's abhorent to me the answer is
00:57:24
no there's no way in the world my conscience is completely [Music] clear by 2015 Robert Penny was 83 years
00:57:36
old and living in Melbourne given his age investigators knew that time was of the
00:57:43
essence although they didn't have any physical evidence tying Robert to the double murder the circumstantial
00:57:49
evidence mounted to a point that the decision was made to place him under arrest in April 200 15 almost 24 years
00:57:58
after the fact Robert Penney was forly charged with the murders of Margaret peny and CLA
00:58:05
ACO 7 months later a committal hearing was held with 50 Witnesses scheduled to give
00:58:12
evidence however on the first day something happened that turned the case against Robert peny on its
00:58:19
head one of the major pieces of physical evidence that had been taken from the old London qufu crime seene was a piece
00:58:26
of tissue paper it had been found next to the tail comb on a chair in the shampoo room and was lightly stained
00:58:34
with blood in the early days of the investigation DNA technology was in its infancy but recent advances had revealed
00:58:44
that the tissue paper returned three DNA profiles Margaret Penny CLA axes and the
00:58:51
partial profile of an unknown male the partial profile was compared against several Persons of Interest in
00:58:58
the Portland case including Robert peny there were no matches presented with this information
00:59:08
the magistrate overseeing Robert's committ hearing adjourned the proceedings to give the prosecution an
00:59:13
opportunity to reassess their case the fact that no match was identified didn't necessarily eliminate
00:59:20
anyone from the investigation the scope of the testing was limited given it was only a partial
00:59:27
profile and there was nothing to definitively confirm that the profile had come from the
00:59:32
offender regardless it weakened the prosecution's argument significantly the hearing was
00:59:40
rescheduled for May the following year but it never went ahead in March 2016 Robert peny passed away from natural
00:59:51
causes some assumed this meant the case was closed but as Robert's lawyer pointed out his client had died an
00:59:58
innocent man a police spokesperson said this investigation remains active and the
01:00:06
Victoria Police Homicide Squad is committed to finding the person or persons responsible for these
01:00:14
deaths a request was approved for a new inquest to be held into the deaths of Clare aox and Margaret Penny unlike the
01:00:23
original inquest conducted in 1995 which only lasted one day the 2016 inquest was
01:00:31
comprehensive over 10 days 28 Witnesses were called to give evidence as the coroner went over thousands of pages of
01:00:38
official reports and investigative notes Robert Penny's comments about the tail comb were a major
01:00:46
Focus first and foremost the coroner wanted to establish whether a tail comb could have actually caused the injuries
01:00:53
inflicted on Margaret Penny's torso the forensic pathologist who attended the crime scene back in 1991 said the wounds
01:01:01
hadn't penetrated deep enough to determine what type of weapon had been used whatever it was he was of the
01:01:08
opinion that the tail comb found in the shampoo room wasn't a match however an expert from the United
01:01:15
Kingdom studied Margaret's injuries and determined that a tail comb was a quote possible and plausible explanation for
01:01:23
the unusual injuries the mysterious items had pierced through Margaret's clothing a
01:01:29
forensic expert who analyzed the clothing said she couldn't rule out the possibility that a tail comb had caused
01:01:35
the damage but it also could have been any other thin blunt instrument such as a screwdriver or knitting
01:01:43
needle no evidence was presented that put Robert peny at the scene of the crime or indicated he'd arranged for
01:01:49
someone to carry out the murders on his behalf Focus was therefore placed on a possible motive
01:01:57
Witnesses were called to ascertain the exact dates that Robert began a romantic relationship with his second wife
01:02:04
Kim Kim claimed to the relationship it didn't become intimate until several months after Margaret's murder which was
01:02:10
verified by her daughter who was living with the couple at the time no evidence was forthcoming to
01:02:17
indicate the two had been romantically involved while Margaret was still alive while various Witnesses expressed
01:02:25
their opinion that Robert peny didn't grieve appropriately following his wife's death evidence was also presented
01:02:31
to the contrary some believed that Robert was clearly traumatized and had grieved
01:02:37
intensely for a long period of time Council appearing for Clare aco's family described the circumstantial
01:02:45
evidence against Robert Penney as extraordinary summing up they said Robert peny was either involved in the
01:02:54
murder of his wife and Clare AO or he was the victim of the most remarkable Confluence of Misfortune and his own
01:03:00
strange behavior that it strains credibility the coroner agreed that some comments made by Robert were highly
01:03:09
unusual but that overall a majority of the circumstantial evidence was open to different
01:03:16
interpretations the coroner concluded that Robert peny was not involved in the murders of Clare acox or Margaret penny
01:03:22
in any capacity stating the prosecution of Mr peny gave great hope to the AO and
01:03:29
peny families about the prospect of closure or finality to a pain so immeasurably etched into their
01:03:37
hearts the threads of circumstantial evidence when woven together have given the perception that Mr peny was a
01:03:43
plausible suspect however those threads begin to unravel and as they are analyzed alone
01:03:51
and as a whole as has been done in this inquest the likelihood of Mr penny involvement Fades and many of the
01:03:58
questions remain painfully unanswered the coroner couldn't determine whether the man Robert Mensel
01:04:06
had seen running from the scene had anything to do with the crime and said that other Persons of Interest including
01:04:12
Gordon and Russell Smith could not be excluded her report concluded this was a heinous and violent
01:04:21
crime committed against two innocent women whose lives were tragically cut short I acknowledge these crimes have
01:04:29
immeasurably impacted the lives of the friends and family of Mrs peny and Mrs aox and cast a dark shadow over the
01:04:36
community of Portland based upon the available evidence I am unable to identify the
01:04:43
person or persons who murdered Mrs peny and Mrs aox therefore the murders remain
01:04:50
unsolved and this homicide investigation remains open as of early 2024 the murders of Clare
01:05:02
acox and Margaret peny are still unsolved the building on the corner of Julia and benting streets has since been
01:05:09
repainted the old London signage covered up but paint can't cover Old Wounds after 32 years some residents of
01:05:20
Portland still go out of their way to avoid walking past the old London building haunted by the memories of what
01:05:26
happened inside theories remain about who was responsible for the grizzly crime other
01:05:34
convicted Killers have been considered and ruled out over time the identity of the so-called horrible man remains a
01:05:42
mystery although it is possible he was an innocent individual who was too embarrassed or fearful to come forward
01:05:48
to clear his name the check stolen from the salon on the day of the slain has never been
01:05:54
cashed the bloody footprint found at the scene remains a key piece of evidence although investigators can't say with
01:06:02
certainty whether the print was left by the killer or someone who sullied the crime scene prior to it being cordoned
01:06:09
off the existence of DNA and fingerprint evidence means there's a possibility this case could one day be solved and
01:06:16
the reward for information still exists until that day comes the families of Clare acox and Margaret Penny will
01:06:24
continue to seek in answers cla's son Tim told the age newspaper that he wouldn't wish the
01:06:32
experience on anyone saying it's consumed the latter half of our Lives it's daily it's confronting it
01:06:41
wears you down what it is about now is closure someone held to account speaking to wartha Leon Wallace
01:06:51
Tim said the last thing I can and need to do for mom is to witness Justice being
01:06:58
carried out until then we will always be wondering who why what if the murders led to an irreparable
01:07:09
fracture between the penny family not only had Jacqueline and Anthony lost their mother their suspicion against
01:07:16
Robert changed their relationship with their father the relationship between the siblings also suffered in the wake
01:07:23
of the crime and Anthony eventually changed his name Margaret's daughter Jacqueline told Leone Wallace you never
01:07:31
get over it there's not one day where you don't play detective in your own head it just never goes
01:07:40
away Claire's husband Peter spent years wondering what his wife's last words were a few years after the murders he
01:07:48
told the warnable standard that he'd love to have a few minutes of the Killer's Time Peter said I'd like to
01:07:55
speak with him even if he just called me up and told me he did it I would like to know how he feels
01:08:02
knowing about the pain he's inflicted on others and the hurt that others have got
01:08:07
to endure because of his actions while Peter was thankful for all the support he received from the
01:08:14
Portland Community following cla's death he felt like no one could understand his
01:08:19
pain and suffering unless they'd been through something similar Peter said I know of people who
01:08:26
used to complain about people snoring but snoring can be the best music in the world ask any
01:08:35
[Music] [Music] Widow e