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She Confessed To The Worst Murder They'd Seen, But She Doesn't Remember Any Of It

Buckle up, because man oh man are you in for a treat.

If you're someone who loves old crime stories, you're going to love the story of Katherine Knight. Well maybe not LOVE. She is, after all, a convicted murderer. But her story is unlike any other.

Katherine Knight was the first Australian woman sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, and her crime is something a judge called "almost beyond contemplation."

Are you ready? Here we go.

Early Life

Katherine Knight grew up in Aberdeen, New South Wales. Her family life was not good whatsoever. Knight's father was an abusive, rapist, alcoholic and her mother would describe in detail her sex life to her kids. As Knight grew up, she was a loner and a bully when she went into rage fits. When not in a state of rage, she was a model student.

Knight became a butcher's assistant and was even given her own set of knives. And that's arguably where this all began.

Casefile

Relationship With John Price

After a failed marriage, and a son by another man, Knight fell in love with a man named John Price in the early '90s. By all accounts, Price was a 'terrific bloke' liked by everyone around him. He had three children from a previous marriage who all thought Knight was a lovely woman.

In 1995, Knight moved into Price's home and everything was "a bunch of roses." In 1998, Price refused to marry Knight and she retaliated by reporting him to his boss for theft. Price was fired from his job of 17 years and kicked Knight out of the home.

A few months later, however, Price restarted their relationship, with the exception of allowing Knight to move back in. Eventually he caved, and the two were living together once again. Friends and family alienated the couple, wanting nothing to do with their constant fighting.

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So what did she do exactly?

The Murder Of John Price

In February of 2000, Knight stabbed Price in the chest and he kicked her out of the house. He took a restraining order out on Knight. He wanted her to stay away from both him and his kids. Price even told his co-workers that if he didn't come in to work, it's because Knight had killed him. Workers begged Price to stay away from her, but he was worried about his kids and what she might do to them.

When he arrived home, Price saw that Knight had sent the kids away for a sleep-over. The couple spent the night together and Price fell asleep.

By 6am the next day, John Price was dead.

Neighbors grew concerned when Price's truck was left in the driveway, even though he was usually at work by that time. They went to check on him and noticed blood on the door, so they called the police.

Police broke down the back door and found Knight overdosed on pills and Price's body next to her. At least part of his body, that is.

Katherine Knight had stabbed John Price 37 times in the front and back with a butcher's clever. It doesn't stop there, either. Knight skinned Price's body and hung it from the door in the living room. She then decapitated him and cooked up parts of his body. Knight prepared an entire meal with baked potato, pumpkin,beetroot, zucchini, cabbage, yellow squash and gravy. She prepared three plates and put two of them on the table, with the name cards of two of Price's children. She had every intention of serving John Price's body to his kids.

John Price's head was found inside a boiling pot with vegetables.

Katherine and her first husband, Dave. New York Daily News
NSW Police

You'd think this was an open and shut case, but Knight's lawyers had different ideas.

Katherine Knight's Trial

Katherine Knight and her lawyers claim she has no recollection of the murder and that she has amnesia. However, courts did not accept this. Knight originally plead not guilty to the crime, but the next morning she changed her plea to guilty.

Knight went through psychiatric evaluation where it was determined that she suffers from borderline personality disorder.

Katherine Knight recovers in the hospital after John Price's death. Knight said she did not remember anything that happened on Feb. 29, 2000.New York Daily News

During her trial, Knight became hysterical when hearing details of her crime and had to be sedated. The judge on the case said Knight showed no remorse for her actions and sentence her to life in prison, "never to be released." It was the first time a woman in Australia had been given this sentence.

Daily Mail

Where Is She Now?

In 2006, Knight appealed the life sentence, saying it was too severe for her crime. The appeal was rejected, with the judge saying "this was an appalling crime, almost beyond contemplation in a civilized society."

Knight is currently still in prison, where she attends church and sings in the prison choir.

Daily Mail

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