Catherine Knight: The Husband Cannibal

A Childhood of Cruelty

Catherine Knight's life began in 1955 in a small New South Wales town, where she endured relentless abuse from her alcoholic parents and cruel siblings. Shunned by the community for her family's reputation, young Catherine clung to one hope: someday creating a loving family of her own. But her traumatic upbringing left her incapable of healthy relationships, setting the stage for one of Australia's most horrific crimes.

A Deadly Romance

By 1995, the 40-year-old Knight—having cycled through violent relationships—met John Price, a divorced father of three who seemed different. For a time, their relationship flourished, with Knight bonding deeply with Price's daughters. But when Price refused to marry her, Knight's obsession turned deadly. On February 29, 2000, after a physical altercation where she slashed Price with a knife, Knight devised a gruesome plan to "teach him a lesson."

The Night of Horror

Knight lured Price into bed wearing lingerie, then waited until he fell asleep. Sneaking out, she retrieved her butchering tools from her job at a meat processing plant. Returning, she straddled the sleeping Price and plunged a knife into his chest. As he fled, bleeding profusely, she dragged him back inside and stabbed him 37 more times.

But Knight wasn't finished.

A Meal from Hell

With chilling precision, Knight:

• Skinned Price alive, draping his intact hide over a doorframe

• Decapitated him, boiling his head for broth

• Butchered his body, preparing dishes like "human pies"

• Set a formal dinner table, complete with place cards for Price's daughters

After tasting her "meal," Knight vomited and attempted suicide via overdose—but survived to face justice.

Unprecedented Sentence

At trial, Knight showed zero remorse. The judge imposed Australia's first life sentence without parole for a woman, stamping her file "NEVER TO BE RELEASED." Now 67, Knight remains imprisoned, her case a landmark in Australian legal history.