Re: A chill down my spine
The one who got away...
On November 10, 1986, a 17-year-old girl ran into a local supermarket. She was half-naked and hysterical, but managed to announce that she had been raped. She was taken to the police station, where she told her story of survival. She said that she was abducted and held at knifepoint by a couple that had asked her for directions. She recalled being taken to a house where she was stripped and chained to the bed. The male raped her as the female watched. The following morning, she was alone in the house with the female, the male had left for work. She pleaded for the woman to unchain her; much to her amazement, the woman complied. The woman forced her to call her family and tell them that she was visiting with some friends. When the female accomplice left to answer the door, the girl escaped out of the open window in the bedroom.
Despite her harrowing ordeal, the girl was very intelligent and managed to remain alert. She was able to provide police officers with the address and phone number of the couple. She led police to the house, where they hid outside in a parked van. When Catherine returned home, she was immediately arrested. She told police where to find David, who was then arrested. The couple denied the accusations against them and claimed that the young girl had consented to sexual intercourse. In the house, police found a pocketbook and pack of cigarettes that the young lady was smart enough to hide there.
Police were still in need of a confession, since there was no concrete evidence against the couple; it was their word against the girl's. The couple was interrogated separately. This is a common police tactic. If interviewed together, the two would influence and corroborate one another's story. If separated, the bond between them is temporarily broken and the likelihood of a confession is greater. The tactic worked and David admitted to committing the murders. His confession prompted Catherine to confess as well.
The couple led police to the burial sites of the four victims. Catherine Birnie went to great lengths to explain to police that she disliked Noelene from the moment that she and David had abducted her. She was glad that she was dead. As she pointed out the grave to police, she spat on it. She showed a great deal of pride in being able to find the grave unassisted. It was as if she didn't want David Birnie to get all of the credit. The bodies were located and David and Catherine were formally charged with the four murders on November 12, 1986. The trial took place on March 3, 1987 and only lasted a half hour. Both received life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for a minimum of twenty years. David was sent to Casuarina prison and Catherine was sent to Bandyup prison. The two kept in touch for several years. In February 2005, a man received a large settlement after claiming that he was raped by Birnie while imprisoned at Casaurina. On October 7, 2005, David committed suicide, hanging himself in prison. His body remained in the morgue for over a month because no one was willing to claim it. He was given a covert funeral on November 21, 2005. It was very fortunate that the fifth victim was able to recall the details of her attack. Were it not for her, the killings would have continued much longer than they did and many more young women would have fell victim to the deadly duo.
