‘This is a work of non-fiction. The quoted conversations are taken verbatim from those involved, newspaper articles and other archival material. This book is fully referenced and verifiable.’
Yes, I confess. I read a lot of true crime, but I almost did not read this book. Why? Well, ‘shocking true story’ in the title reminded me of the sensationalist ‘reporting’ that so often passes for journalism these days. In this case, I would have been wrong. Here’s an extract from the blurb:
‘Shortlisted for Australia’s best True Crime book of the year, 2023 (Ned Kelly Award – Australian Crime Writers Association).
Seven murders … seven weeks … the true story of Australia’s worst serial sexual homicides.
Christopher Worrell and James Miller killed as many people as the notorious serial killer Ivan Milat. They are Australia’s most prolific serial sexual homicide offenders, yet they are little known outside their home state of South Australia. This is an injustice.’
I remember vaguely these murders and that James Miller (the only survivor after Christopher Worrell died in a car accident that also took the life of Deborah Skuse) claimed that while he and Worrell picked up the young women involved, Worrell acted alone when killing them.
The women were:
Veronica Knight (23 December 1976; aged 18)
Tania Kenny (2 January 1977; aged 15)
Juliet Mykyta (21 January 1977; aged 16)
Sylvia Michelle Pittmann (6 February 1977; aged 16)
Vickie Howell (7 February 1977; aged 26)
Connie Iordanides (also known as Connie Jordan; 9 February 1977; aged 16)
Deborah Lamb (12 February 1977; aged 20)
Deborah Skuse (19 February 1977; killed in the motor accident that claimed Worrell’s life)
Miller died in prison in 2008.
Worrell and Miller met when they were in prison together. Miller was serving a sentence for breaking and entering, while Worrell was serving time for rape and breaching a two-year suspended sentence for armed robbery. After their release Worrell and Miller lived and worked together. Worrell has been characterised as a charismatic psychopath, and Miller as an awkward loner.
I have nothing more to say about Worrell and Miller: Mr Plunkett covers them and their motivations in this well researched book. I was saddened to realise that while I remembered the names of the perpetrators, I had forgotten most of the names of the victims. It is easy, sometimes, to become caught up in the horror of murder, to focus on the perpetrator and his/her motivation and forget those whose lives were cut short. There were people behind the names listed above, people with aspirations and dreams, people who are missed.
And, writing this review just two days after the tragic events at Bondi Junction, after the murders of six young people, we must remember them as people, not only as victims.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Book 11 in my 2024 Nonfiction Reader Challenge. I’ve entered as a ‘Nonfiction Grazer’ and this book should be included under the heading of ‘True Crime’.
Tasmanian Bibliophile @Large 