When millionaire Australian socialite Margaret Wales-King and her husband, Paul King, disappeared in April 2002, friends and family became concerned something serious had happened to the older couple. Those fears and concerns were confirmed a few weeks later, when park rangers discovered their bodies in a shallow grave in Marysville, Victoria. Margaret and her husband had been clubbed and strangled to death.
The press dubbed the murders “the society killings” and the tragedy captured the Australian public’s attention for the ways it seemed to have been pulled right out of a classic mystery novel. Yet for all the couple’s wealth, nothing appeared to be missing from their home and their bodies were discovered still wearing jewelry and in possession of credit cards and other valuables. Under the circumstances, police looked to Wales-King’s children, who stood to gain a great deal of money in the event of Margaret’s death. Within a week the case started to come together, and a suspect was revealed.
While most of the family responded to the Wales-King murders in a manner one would expect, thirty-four-year-old Matthew Wales behavior was erratic, explosive, and suspicious. Upon interviewing Matthew, investigators learned he was the last person to have seen his mother and stepfather the night they were murdered, after having dinner with Matthew and his wife, Maritza. A few weeks later, after multiple interviews, Matthew Wales confessed to murdering his parents; though why he had done it came as a shock to everyone who knew the family.
References
Anderson, Paul, Philip Cullen, and Mark Butler. 2002. "Bodies of missing couple in shallow grave." Advertiser, May 1.
Bonney, Hilary. 2003. The Society Murders: The true story of the Wales-King murders. Crows Nest, Australia: Allen and Unwin.
Clifton, Brad. 2002. "From high society to a grave in the bush." Daily Telegraph, May 4.
Daily Telegraph. 2002. "Son guilty of family killing." Daily Telegraph, October 18.
Green, Sue. 2002. "Crowds gather as search unfolds - son, wife charged over murders." Daily Telegraph, May 13.
Medew, Julia. 2007. "Wife of 'society murderer' avoids jail on ring theft." The Age, February 21.
Monroe, Ian. 2002. "The wayward youngest son." The Age, October 18.
Murphy, Padric. 2002. "Couple's disappearance baffles police." The Age, April 11.
Ross, Norrie, and Mark Buttler. 2003. "Death family vendetta, wife of killer brother will not profit." The Mercury, April 12.
Silvester, John. 2003. "Murder in the Family." The Age, April 11.
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Episode 485: The Jersey Devil Ft Jodie Sweetin
Episode 484: The Alleged Smurl Family Haunting pt 2
Episode 483: The Alleged Smurl Family Haunting pt 1
Episode 482: The Murders of Jennifer Corbin and Dolly Hearn- Part 2
Episode 481: The Murder of Jennifer Corbin- Part 1
Episode 480: Listener Tales 76
Episode 479: World's End Murders
Episode 478: Michele Neurauter
Episode 477: The Murder of Teresita Basa
Episode 476: Bobby Mackey's Music World
Episode 475: Denise Huber- Part 2
Episode 474: Denise Huber- Part 1
Episode 473: Hayward Bissell and the Murder of Patricia Booher
Episode 472: Listener Tales 75
Episode 471: Joe Metheny
Episode 470: The Murder of Mandy Stavik
Episode 469: Elroy Kent & The Murder of Delia Congdon
Episode 468: The Tragic Murder of Grace Millane
Episode 467: The Murder Of Elizabeth Riser & The Attempted Murder Of Brandi Hicks
Episode 466: The Murder of Dawn Hacheney
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