Truro murders
Encyclopedia
The Truro murders is the name given to a series of murders uncovered with the discovery in 1978 and 1979 of the remains of two young women in bushland near the town of Truro, South Australia
. After police searches, the remains of seven women were discovered in total: five at Truro, one at Wingfield
, and one at Port Gawler
. The women had been murdered over a two month period in 1976–1977.
in bushland near the South Australian town of Truro located about 70 km northeast of Adelaide
. Valda had concerns about the find and two days later convinced her husband to have another look. Upon closer inspection, they noted that the bone had a shoe attached; inside the shoe was human skin and painted toenails. Clothes, blood stains, and more bones were found nearby. The remains were later identified as those of Veronica Knight, an 18-year-old girl who had vanished from an Adelaide
street around Christmas of 1976. The lack of an obvious cause of death along with the location led to a belief that Knight may have gotten lost and died of thirst so the death was not considered suspicious. Almost one year later, on 15 April 1979, police discovered the skeletal remains of 16-year-old Sylvia Pittman, about 1 km from where Veronica's remains had been located. Pittman had disappeared around the same time as Knight.
Serial killing was a new phenomenon in Australia at the time, and police faced a difficult task of piecing together evidence. There was the strong suggestion of a link between the two dead women found in the Truro bushland and five other young women reported missing in Adelaide at the time.
Eleven days later a huge search party discovered two more skeletons in a paddock on the opposite side of the road. They were the remains of Connie Iordanides and Vicki Howell, two of the five missing girls.
tic and sociopathic
, and James Miller, a 40-year-old labourer
, described as a drifter and homosexual partner of Worrell, are believed to have committed the murders.
Miller first met Worrell when both were in prison together, Miller for breaking and entering
, Worrell for rape
and breaching a two year suspended sentence for armed robbery
. After release they formed a dominant/submissive relationship and both lived and worked together. Miller was infatuated with him and Worrell would allow Miller to perform sexual acts on him while he read pornographic, and predominantly BDSM
, magazines. As Worrell preferred women this later ceased and they became more like brothers.
Worrell and a female friend were killed in a car accident on 19 February 1977, thus ending the murders. Miller survived the car accident.
Miller suffered depression
and became homeless after Worrell's death. Miller's state of mind and a chance comment were to eventually give police a breakthrough when at Worrell's funeral, his former girlfriend, Amelia, told Miller that Worrell had had a suspected blood clot
on the brain. This announcement prompted Miller to tell her about Worrell's fascination with thrill killing
, suggesting that the clot might possibly have been responsible for the moods that led Worrell to kill.
In May 1979, she collected a A$30,000 reward after providing the information to police leading to Miller's arrest and capture. Amelia said that she had not come forward earlier because she had no proof the admission was true and that there was not much point in going to the police as Worrell was dead. It was only after reading of the murders in the newspaper that she came forward. It is highly likely that the murders would have gone unsolved if Amelia had not come forward.
Miller was brought in for questioning on 23 May 1979. Initially he denied knowing anything, but eventually stated that Amelia had "done what I should have" and told detectives that there were three more bodies. Miller was driven under guard to Truro, Port Gawler
and the Wingfield
dump where he pointed out their locations.
All the murder victims had been strangled, although there was a strong suspicion that the last of them, Deborah Lamb, had been alive when buried.
Criminologist Professor Paul Wilson
has suggested that had Worrell not been killed, the Truro murders may have become a much more devastating killing spree, as Worrell was following the "established behaviour of some serial killers" with the time between murders getting shorter. Miller himself told Worrell's girlfriend before his arrest that, "It was getting worse lately. It was happening more often. It was perhaps a good thing that Chris died".
The testimony at his trial revealed a terrifying story. Miller and Worrell would cruise the city streets every night in Worrell's 1969 blue-and-white Chrysler Valiant
, looking for women that Worrell could have sex with. Worrell was 23, charismatic and good-looking, so Worrell had no trouble in regularly "picking up" local girls for casual sex. Miller would drive Worrell and the woman to a secluded place, where Worrell would have sex with the women, often after tying them up, while Miller waited outside the car. Miller would then drive them back into town and drop them off.
Miller described how the "pick-ups" became more and more terrifying. First, Worrell started occasionally raping the women who refused his advances. Then he started murdering them. Miller was unaware that murder would occur prior to it happening; he stated that it only happened some times and not others. It appeared that as the violence increased, Miller became increasingly fearful of Worrell.
Miller maintained, "They can give me life for knowing about the murders and not reporting them. But they charged me with murder ... It's a load of bullshit". Following the trial one of the jurors hired a lawyer to petition the Attorney-General for a retrial. South Australian Chief Justice
Len King
agreed that Miller should be granted another hearing on the grounds that the judge at his trial, Mr Justice Matheson, had instructed the jury to find Miller guilty of murder. However, the Attorney-General, Chris Sumner, refused to grant a retrial.
Legally, Miller argued that he never engaged in any murders directly, nor did he explicitly agree prior to going out cruising for women that he would support Worrell in the murders. Nevertheless, he was found guilty of murder because he was found to be a part of a joint criminal enterprise
. He was present at the crime scenes and assisted in disposing of the bodies. This created subsequent legal difficulties over the definition of a joint criminal enterprise, but these have largely been resolved on the basis that this was a special—and particularly horrifying—case.
In 1999, Miller applied to have a non-parole period set under new laws, and on 8 February 2000, Chief Justice John Doyle granted a non-parole period of 35 years, making Miller eligible for parole in 2014.
Truro, South Australia
Truro is a town in South Australia, 80 km northeast of Adelaide. It is on the Sturt Highway east of the Barossa Valley near where the highway crosses the ridge of the Mount Lofty Ranges. The town was laid out in 1847 and 1848 by John Howard Angas, the son of George Fife Angas who had bought...
. After police searches, the remains of seven women were discovered in total: five at Truro, one at Wingfield
Wingfield, South Australia
Wingfield is a suburb situated north of Adelaide and is located on Grand Junction Road. The suburb borders Gepps Cross and Dry Creek.- Government :The suburb of Wingfield is in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield local government area....
, and one at Port Gawler
Port Gawler, South Australia
Port Gawler is a locality in the Adelaide Plains and on Gulf St Vincent in South Australia. The locality is in the District Council of Mallala local government area, north west of the state capital, Adelaide...
. The women had been murdered over a two month period in 1976–1977.
Discovery
On 25 April 1978, William "Bill" Thomas and Valda Thomas found what they thought was the bone from the leg of a cow whilst mushroomingMushroom hunting
Mushroom hunting, mushrooming, mushroom picking, and similar terms describe the activity of gathering mushrooms in the wild, typically for eating...
in bushland near the South Australian town of Truro located about 70 km northeast of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. Valda had concerns about the find and two days later convinced her husband to have another look. Upon closer inspection, they noted that the bone had a shoe attached; inside the shoe was human skin and painted toenails. Clothes, blood stains, and more bones were found nearby. The remains were later identified as those of Veronica Knight, an 18-year-old girl who had vanished from an Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
street around Christmas of 1976. The lack of an obvious cause of death along with the location led to a belief that Knight may have gotten lost and died of thirst so the death was not considered suspicious. Almost one year later, on 15 April 1979, police discovered the skeletal remains of 16-year-old Sylvia Pittman, about 1 km from where Veronica's remains had been located. Pittman had disappeared around the same time as Knight.
Serial killing was a new phenomenon in Australia at the time, and police faced a difficult task of piecing together evidence. There was the strong suggestion of a link between the two dead women found in the Truro bushland and five other young women reported missing in Adelaide at the time.
Eleven days later a huge search party discovered two more skeletons in a paddock on the opposite side of the road. They were the remains of Connie Iordanides and Vicki Howell, two of the five missing girls.
Arrest
Christopher Worrell aged 23, described as young, charismaCharisma
The term charisma has two senses: 1) compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others, 2) a divinely conferred power or talent. For some theological usages the term is rendered charism, with a meaning the same as sense 2...
tic and sociopathic
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
, and James Miller, a 40-year-old labourer
Manual labour
Manual labour , manual or manual work is physical work done by people, most especially in contrast to that done by machines, and also to that done by working animals...
, described as a drifter and homosexual partner of Worrell, are believed to have committed the murders.
Miller first met Worrell when both were in prison together, Miller for breaking and entering
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
, Worrell for rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
and breaching a two year suspended sentence for armed robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
. After release they formed a dominant/submissive relationship and both lived and worked together. Miller was infatuated with him and Worrell would allow Miller to perform sexual acts on him while he read pornographic, and predominantly BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
, magazines. As Worrell preferred women this later ceased and they became more like brothers.
Worrell and a female friend were killed in a car accident on 19 February 1977, thus ending the murders. Miller survived the car accident.
Miller suffered depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
and became homeless after Worrell's death. Miller's state of mind and a chance comment were to eventually give police a breakthrough when at Worrell's funeral, his former girlfriend, Amelia, told Miller that Worrell had had a suspected blood clot
Thrombus
A thrombus , or blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. It is achieved via the aggregation of platelets that form a platelet plug, and the activation of the humoral coagulation system...
on the brain. This announcement prompted Miller to tell her about Worrell's fascination with thrill killing
Thrill killing
A thrill killing is a term used to describe a premeditated murder committed by a person who is not necessarily suffering from mental instability, and does not derive sexual satisfaction from killing victims, or have anything against them, and sometimes do not know them, but is instead motivated by...
, suggesting that the clot might possibly have been responsible for the moods that led Worrell to kill.
In May 1979, she collected a A$30,000 reward after providing the information to police leading to Miller's arrest and capture. Amelia said that she had not come forward earlier because she had no proof the admission was true and that there was not much point in going to the police as Worrell was dead. It was only after reading of the murders in the newspaper that she came forward. It is highly likely that the murders would have gone unsolved if Amelia had not come forward.
Miller was brought in for questioning on 23 May 1979. Initially he denied knowing anything, but eventually stated that Amelia had "done what I should have" and told detectives that there were three more bodies. Miller was driven under guard to Truro, Port Gawler
Port Gawler, South Australia
Port Gawler is a locality in the Adelaide Plains and on Gulf St Vincent in South Australia. The locality is in the District Council of Mallala local government area, north west of the state capital, Adelaide...
and the Wingfield
Wingfield, South Australia
Wingfield is a suburb situated north of Adelaide and is located on Grand Junction Road. The suburb borders Gepps Cross and Dry Creek.- Government :The suburb of Wingfield is in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield local government area....
dump where he pointed out their locations.
Victims
- Veronica Knight (23 December 1976; aged 18)
Veronica had become separated from her friend while shopping and accepted a ride home. Miller claims they talked her into going for a drive in the Adelaide foothills. Worrell parked while Miller went for a walk. Returning to the car he found Veronica dead; Miller alleged that he angrily confronted Worrell, who pulled a knife and threatened him. Worrell was in a black mood and wouldn't talk; Miller helped him dump the body at Truro. They both returned to work the next morning.
- Tania Kenny (2 January 1977; aged 15)
Miller and Worrell picked up Tania after she had just arrived in the city after hitchhiking from Victor HarborVictor Harbor, South AustraliaVictor Harbor is a city located on the coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula, about 80 km south of Adelaide, South Australia. The city is the largest population centre on the peninsula, with an economy based upon agriculture, fisheries and various industries...
. They drove to Miller's sister's home and Miller sat in the car while Worrell and Tania went inside. Worrell later returned and asked for help. Allegedly an argument occurred and Worrell threatened to kill Miller if he did not help. That night they buried Tania at Wingfield.
- Juliet Mykyta (21 January 1977; aged 16)
Julie was waiting at a bus stop after finishing a part time job in the city when Worrell offered her a lift home. Instead he drove her to Port WakefieldPort Wakefield, South AustraliaPort Wakefield was the first government town to be established north of the capital, Adelaide, in South Australia.Port Wakefield is situated approximately 98.7 kilometres from Adelaide and lies on the Port Wakefield Road section of the A1 National Highway...
. This time Miller sat in the car while Worrell tied her up. This behaviour was not unusual—"it was Worrell's kink"—so Miller thought nothing of it. Miller alleges he then went to take a walk but turned around after hearing a disturbance. Julie was out of the car and falling to the ground. Worrell turned her over and began strangling her. Miller claims that he tried to pull Worrell off, but was not strong enough, and that again Worrell threatened to kill him. Julie's remains were also found at Truro.
- Sylvia Pittman (6 February 1977; aged 16)
Picked up as she waited for a train at the Adelaide Railway StationAdelaide Railway StationAdelaide Railway Station is the central terminus of the Adelaide Metro railway system. It is at on the north side of North Terrace, west of Parliament House. The Adelaide Casino is in part of the building that is no longer required for the station....
. They drove to the Wingfield area where Miller went for a walk and later helped dispose of the body at Truro.
- Vickie Howell (7 February 1977; aged 26)
Worrell rang Miller to pick him up from the Adelaide Post OfficeVictoria Square, AdelaideVictoria Square is a public square in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. The square is in the centre of the city's grid of one square mile, and was named by the Street Naming Committee on 23 May 1837 after Princess Victoria, heir presumptive of the British throne. Less than a month later the...
. When he arrived, Vickie was already with Worrell. She had recently separated from her husband and was happy to go with them to Nuriootpa. Stopping the car, Miller went for a walk; soon after returning, but finding nothing untoward, he then took a longer walk. When he returned, Vickie was dead and Worrell was in a rage. Miller claims that he cursed and abused Worrell, expecting to be killed himself, but Worrell said nothing. Vickie's body was then taken to Truro.
- Connie Iordanides (also known as Connie Jordan; 9 February 1977; aged 16)
Picked up in the city centre and offered a lift home, Connie became frightened when then they drove in the wrong direction. Miller stopped at Wingfield and Worrell forced the screaming girl into the back seat while Miller did nothing. He left the car for a while; after returning, they drove to Truro.
- Deborah Lamb (12 February 1977; aged 20)
Deborah was hitchhiking on West TerraceWest Terrace, AdelaideWest Terrace is a street in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the western-most street of the Adelaide city centre. It ends at North Terrace and South Terrace, and connects to Port Road and Anzac Highway....
when picked up. They drove to Port Gawler where Miller went for his walk. When he returned to the car, Deborah was absent and Worrell was pushing sand into a hole with his foot. Deborah was later found buried at the spot.
- Deborah Skuse (19 February 1977; killed in the motor accident that claimed Worrell's life)
Deborah was the ex-girlfriend of a friend of the pair. After her break-up, Miller and Worrell took her to Mount Gambier for the weekend, but after Worrell got into one of his black moods they decided to return to Adelaide on the Saturday afternoon. Worrell was driving when the car blew a tyre and rolled several times, throwing all three onto the road. Worrell and Deborah died; Miller broke his shoulder blade.
All the murder victims had been strangled, although there was a strong suspicion that the last of them, Deborah Lamb, had been alive when buried.
Criminologist Professor Paul Wilson
Paul Wilson (criminologist)
Paul Richard Wilson OAM is a New Zealand-born Australian author, sociologist and criminologist.-Biography:Pasul Wilson was born in New Zealand. He currently holds the Chair of Criminology at Bond University. Prior to this he held academic appointments at the University of Queensland and several...
has suggested that had Worrell not been killed, the Truro murders may have become a much more devastating killing spree, as Worrell was following the "established behaviour of some serial killers" with the time between murders getting shorter. Miller himself told Worrell's girlfriend before his arrest that, "It was getting worse lately. It was happening more often. It was perhaps a good thing that Chris died".
Accused
Miller stood trial for the murders, and was found guilty of six of the seven murders (with the exception of the first murder, Veronica Knight) on 12 March 1980. Unusually, he was convicted of murder despite having never touched a victim; he was sentenced to the maximum six consecutive terms of life imprisonment.The testimony at his trial revealed a terrifying story. Miller and Worrell would cruise the city streets every night in Worrell's 1969 blue-and-white Chrysler Valiant
Chrysler Valiant
The Chrysler Valiant is a passenger car which was introduced by Chrysler Australia in 1962 with production ceasing in 1981. Initially a rebadged locally assembled Plymouth Valiant from the U.S., the Valiant range was sold throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as South Africa...
, looking for women that Worrell could have sex with. Worrell was 23, charismatic and good-looking, so Worrell had no trouble in regularly "picking up" local girls for casual sex. Miller would drive Worrell and the woman to a secluded place, where Worrell would have sex with the women, often after tying them up, while Miller waited outside the car. Miller would then drive them back into town and drop them off.
Miller described how the "pick-ups" became more and more terrifying. First, Worrell started occasionally raping the women who refused his advances. Then he started murdering them. Miller was unaware that murder would occur prior to it happening; he stated that it only happened some times and not others. It appeared that as the violence increased, Miller became increasingly fearful of Worrell.
Miller maintained, "They can give me life for knowing about the murders and not reporting them. But they charged me with murder ... It's a load of bullshit". Following the trial one of the jurors hired a lawyer to petition the Attorney-General for a retrial. South Australian Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
Len King
Len King
Leonard John King, , was an Australian Test cricket match umpire, from Victoria.He umpired 6 Test matches between 1989 and 1993...
agreed that Miller should be granted another hearing on the grounds that the judge at his trial, Mr Justice Matheson, had instructed the jury to find Miller guilty of murder. However, the Attorney-General, Chris Sumner, refused to grant a retrial.
Legally, Miller argued that he never engaged in any murders directly, nor did he explicitly agree prior to going out cruising for women that he would support Worrell in the murders. Nevertheless, he was found guilty of murder because he was found to be a part of a joint criminal enterprise
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
. He was present at the crime scenes and assisted in disposing of the bodies. This created subsequent legal difficulties over the definition of a joint criminal enterprise, but these have largely been resolved on the basis that this was a special—and particularly horrifying—case.
In 1999, Miller applied to have a non-parole period set under new laws, and on 8 February 2000, Chief Justice John Doyle granted a non-parole period of 35 years, making Miller eligible for parole in 2014.