Coffee and Crime AU

For years, Kathleen Folbigg was known as one of Australia’s worst child killers—a mother accused of murdering her four children.There were no witnesses. No clear cause. No confession.What prosecutors had instead was something far more dangerous: pattern, assumption… and a set of personal diaries that would be interpreted as guilt.In this episode, we unravel how grief was reframed as suspicion, how coincidence was treated as evidence, and how a case built on circumstantial reasoning led to a 40-year sentence.But the story didn’t end in the courtroom.Years later, science entered the conversation—challenging everything that had once seemed certain. Genetic research would raise a question no one had properly asked before:What if these children were never murdered at all?This is a story about loss, doubt, and the fragile line between intuition and proof. A case that forces us to confront how easily narratives can harden into verdicts—and how difficult they are to undo.

There are places where silence feels different.In this episode of Coffee and Crime AU, we explore the Greenough Family Massacre — a case that remains one of the most confronting in Australian criminal history.Set in rural Western Australia, this episode takes a slow, detailed look at the timeline of events, from the early hours of the crime to the discovery, investigation, and court proceedings that followed.This is a cinematic, true crime episode focused on factual storytelling, environment, and the reality of how cases like this unfold.⚠️ Content Warning: This episode discusses violent crime.☕ Support the show on Patreon for early access https://www.patreon.com/CoffeeandCrimeAU🔪 Grab some Merch here 👉https://www.coffeeandcrimeau.com.au/online-store

On October 25, 2023, 21-year-old Lilie James was killed inside St Andrew’s Cathedral School in Sydney.The man responsible was Paul Thijssen — someone she had briefly dated.Hours later he would die after going over the cliffs at Diamond Bay Reserve.A coronial inquest would later reveal stalking, manipulation and warning signs in the days leading up to the murder.This episode examines the timeline, the investigation, and the broader patterns of coercive control that experts say often precede violence.Listener discretion is advised.

Melbourne in the late 1980s and early 1990s was rocked by a series of abductions that would terrify entire suburbs. Known only as Mr. Cruel, this predator was meticulous, intelligent, and terrifyingly patient. He struck while families slept, restraining parents, and abducted children—sometimes releasing them, sometimes escalating to murder.Join us as we uncover the chilling story of a predator who remains unidentified to this day, and the courage of survivors and investigators who lived through it.Listener discretion is strongly advised.Mr Cruel – The Unseen Predator (Clarification)Firstly, thank you all for listening to my podcast. I truly appreciate every single one of you. The support has been incredible, and I’m honestly blown away by it.I’d also like to clarify a few details that were kindly pointed out to me by @penguinvic9892:-Sharon was released near 66kV sub-transmission high-voltage power lines that led to a substation.-A few hundred metres from the school was an electricity supply depot and administration building. The substation directly across from the school was not considered highly significant.-Only two of the abductions occurred during school holidays.-The suggestion that Mr Cruel may have worked in education is incorrect. This was clarified in a newspaper report on 17/04/2022.-The commonly circulated photo of Karmein Chan is from when she was eight years old. It does not reflect how she looked at the time of her disappearance.Some additional interesting facts about the case:Around 27,000 men were interviewed and eliminated as suspects.Many tips received were general or speculative, including those from disgruntled acquaintances.Police engaged persons of interest for their technical expertise in an effort to gain further insights.Investigators even consulted a psychic during the case.There may be a potential link between Mr Cruel and a church.Major tennis facilities were located near victims’ homes or had been visited by the victims.Railway lines are a recurring feature near several crime locations.