7 Shocking Facts About Katherine Knight: Australia's First Woman Sentenced To Life Without Parole

As of December 2025, the name Katherine Mary Knight remains synonymous with one of the most horrific and depraved crimes in Australian history, a case that shocked a nation and earned her the grim moniker, ‘The Butcher of Aberdeen.’ The details of her 2000 murder of partner John Price are so gruesome that they ensured her place in history as the first Australian woman to be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

This article delves into the dark history of the woman often referred to as ‘Lady Leatherface’ or the ‘Cannibal Killer,’ exploring her turbulent childhood, a documented pattern of extreme violence in prior relationships, the unimaginable details of her final crime, and her current status within the Australian correctional system.

The Violent Life and Complete Biography of Katherine Knight

Katherine Mary Knight’s life was marred by violence from the very beginning, a brutal pattern that escalated from her childhood environment into her adult relationships, ultimately leading to her horrific final act.

• 7 Shocking Things Jessica Capshaw Revealed About Growing Up With Steven Spielberg As Her Stepfather 892ho

• Full Name: Katherine Mary Knight
• Born: October 24, 1955
• Place of Birth: Tenterfield, New South Wales, Australia
• Family Background: Born one of a set of twins. Her father, an alcoholic, worked at a local abattoir and was reportedly abusive.
• Early Career: Knight followed in her father's footsteps, working as a slaughterhouse worker (abattoir worker) in the town of Aberdeen, New South Wales. This job reportedly gave her a disturbing familiarity with butchery tools and techniques.
• Known Partners:
  • David Kellett: One of her early partners. She reportedly attacked him with a pair of scissors.
  • John Chillingworth: Another ex-partner. She once ran him over with her car after an argument.
  • John Charles Thomas Price: Her de facto husband and final victim.
• Children: Knight had multiple children from her various relationships.
• Criminal Status: Incarcerated. Sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

A History of Escalating Domestic Violence

Before the murder of John Price, Knight’s history was a catalogue of extreme domestic violence and rage. She reportedly suffered abuse as a child, which psychologists later accepted, but she also became a perpetrator of shocking violence in her own right.

Her temper was legendary in the small Hunter Valley community. In one incident with a former partner, she reportedly hit him over the head with a frying pan. With another, David Kellett, she attacked him with a pair of scissors during an argument, stabbing him multiple times.

These acts established a clear pattern of volatility and a penchant for physical aggression, often involving weapons, suggesting a deeply disturbed personality long before the final, catastrophic crime.

• The Unseen Story Jessica Simpsons Battle For Privacy And Body Image In A Digital Age Mlvqa

The Unspeakable Crime: The Murder of John Price

The murder of John Charles Thomas Price on February 28, 2000, remains one of the most infamous true crime cases in Australia. Price was a railway worker who had been in an on-again, off-again relationship with Knight, one he was increasingly desperate to end due to her violent nature.

The night of the murder began with an argument at their home in Aberdeen, New South Wales. Price reportedly asked Knight to leave their shared residence. After he went to bed, Knight waited until he was asleep before launching her attack.

She began by stabbing Price repeatedly with a knife. The final autopsy report indicated he had been stabbed a total of 37 times, with wounds found all over his body, including his back, chest, and neck. The sheer number of wounds demonstrated an extreme level of rage and overkill.

• The Surprise Vegas Wedding And Shared Grief 5 Shocking Details Of John Schneider And Dee Dee Sorvinos Whirlwind Romance Ohirf

The Mutilation: A Crime of Cannibalistic Intent

What followed the stabbing elevated the crime from a brutal murder to a case of unprecedented depravity. Using her skills as an abattoir worker, Knight proceeded to skin Price’s body.

She meticulously removed the skin from his body, hanging it from a meat hook on a door frame in the living room. This horrific act earned her the nickname ‘Lady Leatherface’ and drew immediate comparisons to fictional and historical figures of horror.

The final, sickening discovery was the most shocking: Knight had decapitated Price and cooked parts of his body. She prepared his head, hips, and buttocks, serving them with roasted vegetables on plates she had set out for his adult children, who were not home at the time. The police discovered the scene after Price failed to show up for work, finding Knight unconscious from an overdose of prescription medication.

Justice and Life Behind Bars: The Butcher of Aberdeen Today

Katherine Knight was quickly arrested and later pleaded guilty to the murder of John Price. Given the extreme, premeditated, and barbaric nature of the crime, the prosecution sought the maximum possible penalty.

In 2001, Justice Barry O’Keefe of the Supreme Court of New South Wales delivered a landmark sentence. He sentenced Knight to life imprisonment, adding the unprecedented stipulation that she should "never be released."

This made her the first woman in Australian legal history to be given a life sentence without the possibility of parole, a sentence reserved for only the most heinous crimes. The court determined that the crime was so monstrous and wicked that Knight posed a permanent, irreparable danger to the community.

Incarceration and Failed Appeals

Knight is currently incarcerated at the Silverwater Women's Correctional Centre in western Sydney. Her life in prison has reportedly been one of isolation, where she is known to other inmates by her chilling nicknames, including ‘The Butcher of Aberdeen’ and ‘The Cannibal Killer.’

Since her sentencing, Knight has attempted to appeal the “never to be released” stipulation. In 2006, she lodged an appeal with the High Court of Australia, arguing that the non-parole period was unconstitutional. The High Court ultimately rejected her appeal, upholding the original sentence and confirming that she will spend the rest of her natural life in prison.

The case continues to be a subject of intense public and media fascination, frequently revisited in true crime podcasts, documentaries, and books, ensuring that the horrifying details of her crime remain a stark warning about the depths of human depravity.