A trip to the hair salon turns fatal | Forensic Files

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website in 1991 the old London cuur was well known to the people of Portland a small Harborside City 350 km Southwest
of Melbourne located on the corners of Julia Street and benting Street two of the main shopping strips in town their
hair salon had been Servicing residents of the community for 20 years but it hadn't always been that way
just a Stones Throw from Portland Bay the two-story Blu Stone building was built in
1844 it had once served as a hotel called the old London Inn offering residential accommodation meeting rooms
and a boarding stable the ground floor had since been converted to the hair salon and various
office spaces while the upper level housed a den surgery despite the many changes the old
London building had gone through over the years it retained its original Georgian era charm and was still
considered one of the most distinguished buildings in Portland 49-year-old CLA acox could be
found working 2 days a week at the old London cuur she was incredibly well-liked around town with her warm and
generous nature affording her a loyal client base her work days were relatively uneventful save for the odd
piece of town gossip and more recently petty theft around April 1991 the owner of the
salon had arrived at work to discover that a chair behind the reception desk had been overturned and approximately
$30 in coins had been stolen from the register the salon doors were all locked and there were no signs of a break in
police were notified but there was little they could do and it was brushed off as a minor
incident a few weeks later on the afternoon of Wednesday April 17 1991 CLA was working alone when she turned around
to find an unfamiliar long-haired man standing behind her his presence in the salon hadn't triggered the Bell which
was attached to the front door handle giving cla a significant fright the man didn't have an
appointment but he requested that CLA give him a trim something about his eyes and the way he carried himself
completely unnerved CLA as they spoke the man made several derogatory and abusive comments telling
CLA that he didn't like hairdresses he eventually left without getting a haircut as soon as he was out of sight
CLA locked the salon and closed up shop for the day the interaction completely rattled
her CLA was typically a calm and confident person but when she told friends about the incident her demeanor
changed completely she described the woodb customer as a horrible man with creepy eyes and said she'd had never
been so frightened in her life out of sight didn't necessarily mean out of mind just before the man left he had
warned of his intentions to return [Music] roughly 2 weeks after the encounter with
the horrible man May 3 1991 started out like any other Friday for CLA after a typical morning at home she made lunch
for her husband Peter and one of his friends before leaving for her shift at the
salon she brought with her a jumper she was in the process of knitting for her soon to be born
grandson cla's daughter lived in Melbourne and was about to give birth to her first baby CLA had been diligently
saving to visit her new grandson and shower him with gifts she'd managed to save $500 which she carried around in an
old wallet and she worked on her knitting project whenever she got a spare moment between
clients CLA acox had lived in Portland for 15 years with a population of roughly 9,000 residents it was not only
considered a safe place to live the laid-back lifestyle was also a perfect fit for cla's
personality she was passionate about three things above all else her family animals and gardening the aco's three
children had since flown The Nest giving CLA more time to focus on her Hobbies work CLA had three appointments
scheduled for Friday afternoon one of which was with her regular client 58-year-old Margaret
Penny Margaret and her husband of 36 years had relocated to Portland only 7 months prior having lived in town
previously before moving elsewhere to raise their two children Margaret was a house proud woman who prided herself on
her appearance as such she had a recurring appointment with Clare acox every Friday afternoon to have her hair
set and styled on this particular day Margaret was also scheduled to have her hair
colored in preparation for a week-long trip visiting her daughter Jacqueline in Melbourne the following
morning for several weeks Margaret and her husband Robert had been looking after Jacqueline's 5-year-old daughter
Alice not her real name Margaret was a doting grandmother and she spent the morning entertaining out at home while
Robert did some yard work and ran errands around town Margaret usually took Alice with
her to the salon to have her hair braided but on this particular day Alice was going to stay home to help Robert
build a swing in the backyard as Margaret's 2 p.m. appointment approached she was running
behind schedule this stressed her out as she prided herself on being punctual and
organized by the time Robert moved the car onto the street for her Margaret was in a hurry she rushed off making a quick
stop at the ocean peer te rooms the cafe was just a few buildings down from the old London
cuur Margaret had made plans to meet her friend Shirley endersby for afternoon tea there after her hair appointment at
3:15 worried that the staff would stop preparing food by that time Margaret ducked in to pre-order some sandwiches
before hurrying down the street to the salon the old London building backed onto a
communal Courtyard shared by multiple businesses this space could be accessed via large iron gates which were kept
open during office hours at around 3:30 two men who worked in the office across the courtyard heard
high-pitched screams coming from outside they peered out the window one of them saw the rear screen
door to the salon fling open as the wooden door behind it slammed close the screams then stopped as
quickly as they'd started assuming it was just kids running around the office workers didn't
give it any more [Music] thought at 3:40 p.m. Shirley endersby sat watching the clock at the ocean Pier
t rooms Margaret Penny was 25 minutes late this was incredible unlike her Shirley decided to duck to the old
London Cur to see what the holdup was when she arrived at the salon and pushed on the front door she was surprised to
find it was locked this was strange given that the salon wasn't scheduled to close until
later in the evening Shirley knocked loudly there was no answer she knew Margaret couldn't be too
far away she could see her car parked on benting street near by Shirley walked to the Courtyard at
the rear of the salon but the back door was locked too Shirley banged on the door there was no
response Shirley returned to the t- rooms keeping an eye out for Margaret on the
streets by this point it was nearing 400 p.m. it was completely out of character
for Margaret peny to be 45 minutes late and surely was unsure what to do next she got in her car as she drove
past the old London Cur she saw that the lights were on inside Shirley wondered whether she had
gotten the times mixed up perhaps Margaret had said 4:15 and was still Mida appointment maybe she'd brought her
granddaughter Alice with her and the young girl had locked the door while playing
around Shirley drove the short distance to her house and called Margaret husband
Robert Penny Robert was home with Alice he recalled that Margaret had rushed off to
her hair appointment in a hurry but he hadn't heard from her since Shirley drove back into town
keeping an eye out for her friend she checked in a couple of shops before walking back to the
salon by this point it was 4:15 p.m. both the front and back doors were still locked and again Shirley's not
knocks went unanswered as she passed the window to the shampoo room at the rear of the
building she noticed that the lights were off assuming this meant the salon was closed for the day she drove home once
more and called the salon owner K Edwards to see what was going on when Kay heard that the salon was
locked she was puzzled she worked at the salon most days except Wednesday morning
and Friday afternoon when CLA was rosted on Kay knew that CLA had several appointments scheduled for that
afternoon including one for 4:30 p.m. it made no sense that the salon doors would
be locked or the lights to the shampoo room would be off both the front and back doors were always left open during
business hours as clients used both entrances and the lights to the shampoo room were always kept
on Kay hung up her call with Shirley and dialed the salon twice the phone rang out both times she made the 2minute
drive to see for herself what was going on as soon as Kay arrived via the rear Courtyard she knew something wasn't
quite right the screen door which was always kept closed was wide open while the solid wooden door was
locked Kay walked around to the front entrance and unlocked the main door the salon had three rooms a reception
area the main hairdressing space and a small shampoo room when Kay entered the reception area she noticed several items
were out of place a stool behind the front desk had been turned on its side the cash
register was closed but a 20 cent transaction had been rung up on the till this alone was odd nothing in the
salon cost 20 cents Kay peered into the main Salon which was separated down the middle by a
mirrored partition with three chairs on either side one chair had been moved from its usual spot and three magazines
sat in its place a trolley that usually sat against the back wall had been moved
to the archway leading to the shampoo room Kay was too afraid to venture any further she ran upstairs to the dental
surger and told the receptionist there's something strange downstairs the receptionist agreed to
accompany Kay to check it out as the two women entered the main Salon Kay noticed
a black handbag lying on the floor with its contents strewn about her anxiety peaked the two women apprehensively made
their way towards the entrance of the shampoo room it was a small dark space Bas
positioned towards the rear of the building containing three black chairs and a hair washing
Basin that's when Kay saw it two pairs of legs sprawled out on the ground Junior Constable Tim aox had just
arrived at work and was Manning the desk at the Portland Police Station when a colleague told him that something major
was unfolding down the street two women had been found dead in the old London quu Constable aox
froze while Portland had its fair share of smaller mostly drug related crimes murders were unheard of worse still
Clare acox was his mother and he knew that she worked at the old London guur on Friday
afternoons as Constable aox continued to field calls in a State of Shock investigators examined the
scene just inside the doorway to the shampoo room the bodies of Margaret peny and CLA acox lay head to toe covered
with black hairdressing capes blood pulled on the floor around them Margaret lay on her stomach with
her throat slit there were numerous stab wounds and abrasions to her back and abdomen and five of her ribs were
fractured her hands rested at her chest bound together with a black taw a gray electrical cord had been used
to bind her ankles together and the cord was also looped around her neck and tied
to a nearby chair CLA acox lay alongside her like Margaret cla's throat had been slit and
her torso was peppered with stub wounds and abrasions although CLA had fewer wounds
than Margaret hers were significantly deeper a clear WRA had been tied around her neck and the electrical cord of a
curling wand had been Loosely tied to a nearby chair the contents of cla's handbag had
been dumped in the nearby Basin while the contents of Margaret's bag was scattered near the shampoo room
door both women were fully dressed except for Margaret's eyeglasses and one of Claire's shoes which were lying
nearby while there were no signs of sexual assault it was clear that a struggle had taken place both women were
covered in defensive wounds and blood spatter covered the walls the forensic evidence indicated
that the women had been attacked while forced to sit in the shampooing chairs they eventually dropped forward
and bled out on the floor where the killer covered their bodies a majority of the injuries had
been inflicted using a sharp edged knife which was nowhere to be seen But on Margaret its back and chest
were also a series of narrow round puncture wounds the weapon that caused to these
injuries wasn't immediately clear what was obvious was that this had been a coldblooded and vious attack
unlike anything many of the officers had ever seen before all up the perpetrator had taken
off with almost $900 in cash this included the $500 that CLA had been saving for her grandson and
approximately $180 that Margaret had been carrying money had also been taken from
the salon till along with a check and a few miscellaneous items but this didn't necessarily mean
that the attack had been motivated by robbery if the perpetrator had simply wanted money it seemed odd that they'
gone to such extreme lengths both Claire and Margaret were also wearing several items of valuable
jewel y Margaret alone wore four gold rings one of which contained a diamond but the killer had made no attempt to
remove them inquiries quickly revealed that both Claire and Margaret were well-liked
upstanding citizens with no known enemies both were happily married and each of their husbands had aliis that
checked out Peter acox was playing golf with friends at the time of the crime while
Robert Penny was home with his granddaughter who would want to kill these two harmless innocent women and
why as Robert Penny expressed when delivered the news how can you go to the hairdresser
and not come back the police soon learned about Clare aco's recent encounter with the
so-called horrible man there was no mention of him in the salon's appointment book
although the old London Cur did take the occasional male customer their clientele
were predominantly women other than the man's horrible eyes the only thing CLA had mentioned about
his appearance was that he had long hair identifying him would be no easy task but for investigators finding the
horrible man was a priority they considered the possibility that he could have visited Clare acox at
the salon to assess the location and to scope out the building layout his comment about disliking hairdresses
could be significant was this just an off-color remark or did he have a genuine hatred
of this profession and deliver on his threat to return the only discernable clue that
the offender had left behind was a partial bloody shoe print found near the entrance of the shampoo room the
defensive wounds on CLA and Margaret's hand suggested the killer might have been injured during the attack but it
was difficult to distinguish between the large quantities of blood found at the crime
scene inquiries were made with hospitals and Health Care Facilities but no one had presented seeking treatment for
carts given that the murders had occurred within a salon hair samples were everywhere the salon was painstakingly
vacuumed and the contents held in evidence but identifying what whether any of the hair belonged to the killer
was near impossible hundreds of customers who had recently visited the salon were asked to
volunteer their fingerprints to be eliminated from the investigation when each print was
accounted for only one remained a partial Print near the front door while this was a promising lead it
didn't contain any blood and investigators couldn't say for sure whether the print belonged to the Killer
CLA acox had tendered to two clients earlier in the afternoon neither of them had noticed anything unusual about her
demeanor nor had they seen any suspicious activity at the salon one recalled that a man had
arrived via the rear door and asked CLA something but the client had only heard the man's voice and didn't hear what he
asked or get a look at him a friend of Claire's had driven past pass to the old London Cur at around
3:05 CLA was standing on the opposite side of the street holding her bag of knitting the two acknowledged one
another with a quick wave this was the last time she was seen alive investigators deduced that while
Margaret's hair was setting CLA had likely run across the street to retrieve the knitting from her car this would
have only taken her a couple of minutes based on the time that the bodies were discovered this meant the
crime occurred sometime between 3:05 and 4:30 p.m. two other people had gone past the
salon during that crucial 90-minute period Margaret's friend Shirley endersby at both 3:45 and 4:15 and
another of cla's clients at 4:30 neither had seen or heard anything suspicious two office workers had heard
pitched screams at 3:30 p.m. but they hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary a dentist who worked upstairs
also recalled hearing the sound of a woman crying out in disgust but he couldn't be sure exactly what
time investigators could only speculate over what occurred inside the old London
cuur they believed the killer had acted alone he likely entered the salon via the front door possibly while CLA was
was retrieving the knitting from her car perhaps he intended to rob the place and was caught off guard upon finding
Margaret inside he could have ordered Margaret to the shampoo room bound her to the chair
and then overpowered CLA upon her return or maybe the killer had burst in unexpectedly ordering both women to the
shampoo room where he launched his attack while it couldn't be determined how long the women were held for it was
it was possible that the killer had spent up to 90 minutes on the scene cla's 4:30 appointment had arrived via
the front door and seen nothing making it likely the killer fled by the salon's rear
door there were only two possible Escape Routes either the killer had run through
a dozen backyards to make a stealth getaway via a back lane or he'd had to cross at least two main streets during
peak hour The Savage attack had happened in broad daylight at one of the busiest
times of the day our school was located just a few hundred meters down the road and The crucial time period had occurred
when students were knocking off for the weekend dozens of parents and children passed right by the old London quu
around the time the attack was thought to have taken place given the amount of blood at the
crime scene it was indisputable that whoever had killed Claire and Margaret would have been covered in blood yet no
one had witnessed anything suspicious with no concrete sightings of the perpetrator investigators queried
who could be motivated to pull off such a violent and Brazen crime was this a random opportunistic
attack or had someone deliberately targeted the two women investigators on the AO peny case had to
consider all angles given that Margaret had a recurring appointment with CLA every
Friday afternoon it was possible that the killer could have known this and visited the salon with the intention of
carrying out the attack alternatively investigators also considered the possibility that the
salon owner K Edwards could have been the intended target and Margaret and CLA were simply in the wrong place at the
wrong time time but K2 was a well-liked l abiding local with no enemies or nefarious
connections the possibility that any of the three women could have been specifically targeted just didn't make
sense in the days before computers each piece of information had to be recorded by hand and then prioritized
accordingly the police quickly became overwhelmed pressure was on to solve the case quickly but with very little
evidence to go on one investigator said they were quote shifting bricks and hoping something turns
up known criminals were looked into and checks were made with psychiatric hospitals around Victoria but no Prime
suspects emerged an alert was placed on the check number stolen from the salon during the
attack if an attempt was made to cash the check various Banks were told to contact the
authorities an extensive search of the area surrounding the old London building came up dry but dozens of knives were
recovered across the Portland foreshore and surrounding bushes each was ruled out as the murder
weapon with investigators concluding they had most likely been thrown away or lost by
fishermen this wasn't unusual for a Seaside Town Portland Harbor was a busy space and Commercial Fishing was one of
the town's main industries the deep sea port facilitated a direct link between the ports of
Melbourne and Adelaide and was a hub for international shipping it also paved the
way for a growing drug problem in the local community investigators therefore considered the possibility that Claire
and Margaret's killer could have come from one of the ships on the day of the murders only one
ship was docked in the harbor the MV port Port interestingly the MV Portland had
also been docked at the same time that Clare acox encountered the soall horrible
man the crew members were looked into including their whereabouts on Friday May 3 no obvious suspects emerged but police
couldn't discount the possibility that the harbor might have played a role yachts and small boats could dock
in Portland Bay without any formal registration it was therefore possible that a lone
yachtsman or fishermen had stopped by Portland committed the murders and then sailed away without anyone attributing
them to the area one of Portland's other major industries was the local abbatar at peak times the abattoir
employed upwards of a thousand staff it wasn't unusual to see an off-duty abire worker walking around
town with blood on their clothes the hairdress and murders could have been committed by an abattoir worker who was
skilled with knives maybe he had a particular hatra of hairdressers or older women or had simply
snapped another theory was that the murders could have been retaliation while neither Clare acox nor
Margaret Penny had any enemies rumors swelled that someone might be out to get revenge on cla's son Constable Tim acox
as a cop he might have angered the wrong person through his line of work there were Whispers that Tim had been involved
in a serious drug raid in the weeks before the murders but Tim shut down the retaliation Theory
completely he hadn't been involved in a drug bust or anything that would single him out Tim was also married with an
infant son if someone was out to get him it seemed strange that they' Target his
mother and an inocent bystander investigators took the possibility of a grudge killing
seriously and looked into the criminals Tim ACO had crossed paths with on the job but no tires were
drawn for one member of the penny family Margaret's death wasn't the first time their life had been affected by
murder just 8 months prior to the Portland slangs a couple had been murdered in a violent home invasion in
the Victorian town of St Andrews Margaret's daughter Jacqueline was driving to her shift at a pub in St
Andrews when she passed the slain coup's home oblivious to the horrors that had just taken place inside Jacqueline
noticed a red Ute go by she recognized the driver as a customer who frequented the pub where
she worked when Jacqueline heard about the St Andrews murders she was reluctant to
tell the police what she'd seen the customer in the red UD was a heavy drug user who had an extensive criminal
history Jacqueline didn't want to get involved or be wrongly viewed as casting suspicion but she knew she had to do the
right thing and eventually made a report by the time Margaret Penny and Clare acox were killed the St Andrews
murder remained unsolved but the driver of the red Ute was a prime suspect investigators considered whether
Margaret Penny could have been targeted as revenge for her daughter cooperating with the police in relation to the St
Andrews case they looked into it but the suspect had a verified Alibi for the time
Margaret and CLA were killed it seemed an unfortunate coincidence that Jacqueline's life had
been touched by these events within such a short period of time as the days turned to weeks with no
arrest in the Portland case Community fears heightened the once laidback Town had
changed overnight women became too afraid to leave their homes alone some were even
too afraid to hang out the washing and avoided social events entirely many turned to self-defense
classes While others took their young children to stay elsewhere locals who once left their
doors unlocked had security systems installed with sales increasing tfold Portland's former mayor Robert
Mensel told reporters we all know one another when somebody gets hurt the whole town gets
hurt the host of a community radio station told listeners we must all realize that
Portland has changed the words nothing happens in Portland OR it won't happen to me are phrases that we can no longer
afford to water it was a sentiment shared at Clare aco's funeral the priest overseeing her
service told the Gathering MERS we can still barely believe it has happened it leaves you numb and
devastated you ask yourself why Portland why then why at all we are accustomed to
such acts taking place in Chicago or New York but now they have spread to our beautiful small City
for cla's husband Peter mending the community Spirit was a priority he told one investigator nothing we can do will
bring CLA or Margaret back but we can do a lot to put Portland Back Together Peter and CLA had loved their
laid-back life in Portland Peter believed the town's folk were the best in Australia but as the years ticked by and
his wife's murder remained unsolved the town Peter so deeply cherished became a constant reminder of his torment and
suffering he relocated to Queensland but never stopped missing CLA for a second telling the warnable Standard
newspaper I still get into the car and sit there waiting for someone else to get
in by the time 3 years had passed with no breakthroughs in the case the investigation was restarted from scratch
the new detectives assigned to the case were eager to speak with Portland's former mayor Robert
menel in the initial stages of the investigation Robert had reported an incident that occurred on the afternoon
of the murders at around 441 Robert said he was driving past to the old London Cur when
he noticed a man running from the direction of the rear Courtyard the man was carrying a small
satchel and looked to be aged between 25 and 30 years old Robert stopped his car
at The Pedestrian crossing the man raced directly by continuing past the nearby Richmond
henty Hotel and then onto the foreshore until Robert lost sight of him at the time the police had mostly
palmed this sighting off because Robert hadn't noticed any blood on the Running Man the time of the sighting was also
questionable by 4:41 p.m. CLA and Margaret's bodies had already been discovered police were more interested
in the sightings that occurred within the crucial 90minut window between 3:05 and 4:30
p.m. with the passing of time detectives were curious to know more about this sighting forly interviewed for the first
time Robert Mensel said the report was wrong he'd actually seen the Running Man sometime between 3:30 and 400 p.m.
Robert still remembered what the man looked like he was approximately 170 cm tall and of medium build he was white
with a fair complexion collar length dark hair and wearing dark rimmed round glasses Robert helped create a photo fit
sketch which was released to the public despite a longstanding $100,000 reward for information no one was able
to identify the Running Man by 1995 approximately 5,000 people had been interviewed in relation to the
double homicide yet not a single arrest was made 22 Witnesses were called during a
one-day inquest into the murders of Margaret and CLA but the coroner was unable to identify a motive for a
suspect they simply concluded that the two women had been stabbed to death by a person
unknown a former Portland resident named Megan was living in Canada when she heard about the result of the
inquest she obtained a copy of the Running Man sketch and as soon as she laid eyes on the bespectacled face that
triggered a memory on Friday May 3 1991 Megan had been walking her dog about 300 M from
the old London building in a Street behind the Richmond henty Hotel she crossed paths with a
foot man who stopped to Pat her dog as she did so Megan noticed that the man had what appeared to be blood stains
wiped on his jeans when Megan heard that two women had been murdered nearby she called the
police to report the sighting but never received a response she therefore assumed the sighting wasn't
significant but looking at the suspect sketch created by Robert Mensel Megan was certain that had both seen the same
man she contacted the authorities in Australia who showed her a photo lineup of potential
suspects given the amount of time that had passed Megan couldn't identify any of the individuals with
certainty investigators weren't entirely sure what to make of Megan's statement moments after her encounter with the
Barefoot man Megan said she saw police and paramedics gathered outside of the old London qu
F investigators ultimately concluded that her encounter had occurred too late in the sequence of events to hold
significance it was also possible that her memory had been influenced over time given the varying times of Robert
Menzel's account investigators ultimately doubted The Running Man was involved with the
killings regardless this mystery man was still of Interest having been around the
area at the time the crime occurred it was possible he held crucial information and he wasn't the only
[Music] one Gordon Smith had grown up in Portland he'd been an outgoing student and a confident athlete until his late
teens when he accepted an apprenticeship with the Army within 2 years a significant change in Gordon's Behavior
led to him being diagnosed with schizophrenia and depression he was medically discharged and spent
the next few years struggling to accept his diagnosis Gordon turned to drugs to cope this interfered with his medication
and led to further behavioral changes Gordon's family noted that he could become withdrawn uptight and
aggressive at 240 on the afternoon that Clare acox and Margaret peny were killed
an old classmate of Gordon had spotted the then 25-year-old about 200 M from the old
London he appeared to be mildly drug affected the police were made aware of Gordon Smith's presence near the crime
scene not because he was particularly suspicious but in case he witnessed something of
Interest they knew he couldn't be the horrible man that Clare ACO had encountered Claire and Gordon knew one
another and she would have easily identified him when her friends about the experience when questioned Gordon gave
vague answers he couldn't give an exact time for his movements only saying that he'd walked the 2 and A2 kmers home and
fallen asleep with no one to verify Gordon's Alibi he remained a person of interest
but there was never anything to definitively tie him to the crime then in April 1998 came an
unexpected revelation the now 32-year-old Gordon had always been close with his cousin Russell
Smith the two were the same age and had both gravitated towards drugs in their adult
years while they'd always looked out for each other with almost seven years passing since Clare acox and Margaret
Penny were killed Russell had something he wanted to get off his chest Russell contacted police and told
them that on the day after the attack back at the old London Cur he received a phone call from
Gordon Gordon allegedly confessed that he was responsible for the attack at the hair salon and needed help disposing of
his bloodstained clothing Russell lived in Melbourne at the time but traveled straight to
Portland and allegedly helped his cousin throw the evidence off a cliff and out to
sea the police were wary of Russell's claims he had an extensive criminal history of his own and it was possible
he was making the story up in the hopes of securing a lighter sentence for unrelated
charges regardless his report was taken seriously Gordon Smith was put under the
microscope further attempts to verify his Alibi continued to fail and no incriminating evidence
surfaced despite some drug related charges he still had no criminal convictions it was possible that Gordon
Smith had been viewed suspiciously due to his mental health issues and drug use police also considered whether
Russell Smith was involved in the murders and was throwing his cousin under the bus to deflect attention from
himself Russell had a WRA sheet dating back to his teenage years including a jail sentence for his participation in
the unprovoked Fatal group bashing of a 46-year-old man he too suffered from various mental
health issues exacerbated by ELCA drug use whatever the truth the renewed police interest took a toll on Gordon
Smith in the wake of the hairdresser murders the initial public scrutiny had fueled his
paranoia under scrutiny again 7 years later Gordon's mental health suffered and in June he moved to Melbourne to
stay with a relative 10 days later the caretaker at a City Church found Gordon's body
hanging from inside the cathedral he didn't leave a suicide note by September 1998 Russell Smith was
being held in remand for various offenses days after his 33rd birthday he used a shoelace to hang himself from the
bunk bed of his cell with that the inquiries into both men reached an inconclusive
end former journalist turned school teacher Leone Wallace had been fascinated by the
Portland murders ever since she heard about the case in 1991 as the years continue to tick by
with no resolution to the case Leone started researching the crime herself she spent years gathering
information and interviewing investigators family members and towns folk her hard work led to the 2012
publication of a comprehensive book titled horrible man which publicly revealed intricate details about the
hairdresser murders for the very first time Leon hoped the book might compel someone with information to come forward
and finally get some resolution for the families during her inquiries Leon received a text message from a
mysterious Source who claimed I know who killed those two women I have a story that has never been
told the sender then seemingly had a change of heart and went silent when Leon finally managed to get
through to them she found it was a woman the woman said she was concerned about the repercussions of speaking up
and no longer wanted to discuss it whether the woman had a genuine lead remains unknown but either way the
publication of horrible men propelled the case back into the news and led to renewed public
interest in 2013 the investigation into the murders of Clare acox and Margaret Penney was reopened once
again with fresh eyes new investigators trolled through the available evidence and thousands of reports on
file the more they learned it became clear that one particular individual had been curiously
overlooked within days of the Portland hair salon murders the husbands of both Claire and
Margaret had been ruled out as suspects Peter ACO and Robert peny had confirmed Alibi and there was no
evidence implicating either of the men in the crimes both claimed that their marriages
were loving and stable however as the new investigators looking at the case in 2013 discovered
this wasn't NE necessarily true the pennies had two adult children a daughter named Jacqueline and a son
named Anthony in the wake of the crimes Anthony was tormented while he never witnessed any
violence between his parents he recalled that their marriage was particularly volatile when Anthony was growing up
Margaret and Robert argued often his mother had once confided in him that Robert had quote beaten her black and
blue Anthony was also aware that his father had cheated on his mother at least once at the time of the murders Anthony
was living overseas while he wasn't aware of any problems in his parents' marriage he
felt that his mother was unhappy every time Anthony spoke to Margaret she mentioned feeling alone and
isolated but it wasn't just this past behavior that concerned Anthony after Margaret and CLA were
murdered Robert Penny told the police that he didn't have access to a car at the time the crime was
committed the couple shared a vehicle and Margaret had taken it to her hair appointment but this wasn't
true while Anthony was overseas he' left his car with his parents urging them to
drive it whenever they needed back in 1991 Anthony called CLA aco's son Constable Tim ACO to get this
information off his chest Tim reported it to the original investigators working on the case but
they saw no reason to suspect Robert penny for starters at the time of the murders Robert was a 59-year-old retiree
with an unblemished record it didn't seem likely that he was capable of pulling off such a violent
and frit attack especially while taking care of his 5-year-old granddaughter secondly Robert penny was
known around Portland it seemed absurd to think that he could have driven to the middle of town on a busy afternoon
committed the brutal crime and then gone straight home without attracting any attention one detective remarked if
you're going to kill a member of your family you wouldn't do it in the middle of the afternoon you do it in the
confines of your own home and concoct a story or accident or otherwise a search of the Penny's home
after the bodies were discovered hadn't uncovered any blood or anything else incriminating furthermore when
Margaret's friend Shirley endersby had called the Penny's home looking for Margaret at around 400 p.m. Robert had
answered the phone this proved he was home during at least some of the crucial 90-minute time
frame in which the murders were believed to have occurred but the couple's son wasn't the
only one with suspicions one of Robert Penny's nephews had also called the police in 1992 to suggest
that they look into Robert more closely during his working years Robert had been the managing director of a
successful car park company this led to him and Margaret temporarily living in Southeast
Asia according to the Penny's nephew Robert had Shady business dealings and some quote skeletons in his closet from
overseas [Music] additionally questions had been raised about Robert's behavior following
Margaret's death some believed that he didn't grieve appropriately in their view he seemed to be handling things
incredibly well for someone whose wife had just been killed so brutally the owner of a Portland General
Store told 60 Minutes that on the weekend after the murders Robert Penny came into his store he was in a jovial
mood and allegedly asked for something that could help remove blood stains the shop owner found Robert's
Behavior so unusual that he called the police to report the encounter but they never followed him
up investigators ended up interviewing Robert penny in 1993 and didn't uncover anything tying him to the
murders regardless suspicions remained and were heightened further when Robert chose not to attend the inquest in 1995
while Robert peny might not have killed Margaret and CLA himself some wondered whether it was possible he'd hired
someone to do the deed on his behalf for Margaret and Robert's daughter Jacqueline having her life
touched by murder twice within an 8-month time span took its toll months after her mother was killed
Jacqueline still held concerns about being a potential witness to the St Andrews cave
she wondered whether her mother could have been targeted as a message to keep a jackal inquired about the individual
in the red you she saw near the scene Jacqueline told her father that she feared for the safety of her own
family according to Jacqueline Robert Penny turned to her and said well why don't we just get him hit referring to
the suspect in the red Ute Jacqueline was shocked she told her dad she didn't know how to do such a
thing Robert allegedly responded well I do from that point on Jacqueline suspected that her father was involved
in her mother's death 4 years after the murders Jacqueline attended a seance with some
friends she asked the guiding Spirit who was responsible for killing her mother the response was that her father had
paid a hitman named Graham $20,000 to get rid of his wife so he could be with another
[Music] woman unlike Peter acox who never remarried following cla's death Robert
Penny moved on quickly within just months of Margaret's murder Robert moved in with a family friend named
Kim the two soon entered a romantic relationship and were married in September of
1992 Robert vehemently denied that he'd had an affair while Margaret was still alive he claimed that Kim had comforted
him in the wake of Margaret's death and the relationship blossomed from there but one of Kim's neighbors claimed
to have seen some affection between Robert and Kim as early as April 1991 the month before Margaret was
killed the exact date that Robert and Kim became intimate was unclear but the speed at which Robert REM married
definitely raised some eyebrows it also added further weight to some strange comments that Robert had
made shortly after his wife's death whoever had killed Clare acox and Margaret Penny had done so with a knife
however they'd also used a smaller narrow object to inflict puncture wounds into Margaret's back and
chest this object had never been identified but police had considered the possibility that it could have been
either a pair of scissors or a tail comb used by hairdressers a tail comb is a plastic comb with a tapered metal
handle the metal portion is used to separate and part hair for styling and it has a sharp tip that could
potentially Pierce through skin one such comb had been found on one of the chairs in the shampoo room at the
old London quu but the Pathologists who conducted Margaret's autopsy were ultimately unable to determine what
caused the puncture marks to her body police had made no mention of the comb when breaking the news of the
murders to Robert Penny or Peter acox however when Robert told Jacqueline that her mother had been killed he
allegedly said that a knife and a hair comb were used he then allegedly told his son that
the killer had used a knife scissors and at the sharp end of a metal comb Robert made a similar comment when
visiting Peter acox shortly after while also saying something along the lines of
at least CLA died very quickly this raised the question how could Robert Penny have known these
things unless he was directly involved with the crime Robert Alibi for the time of the
crime was that he was at home making a swing with his 5-year-old granddaughter Alice by the time invest tigators
reexamined the case in 2013 Alice was aged in her early 20s she provided a statement for the
first time recalling that on the afternoon of Friday May 3 1991 Margaret had tried to take her to the hair
salon Robert disagreed and an argument ensued with the couple fighting over Alice like a tug of
war given that two decades had passed investigators weren't sure how much weight to put on
statement but if there was any truth to it it implied that Robert had fought to keep his granddaughter at home that day
because he knew what Horrors were about to unfold at the salon what if he had hired a Hitman
after all it would explain why Margaret had received more injuries than CLA perhaps a contract killer had snuck
into the salon while CLA had ducked out to grab the knitting from her car they might have only intended to to kill
Margaret not realizing that CLA would be back so soon with the suspicious elements
stacking up against Robert peny the decision was made to place covert listening devices in his home and on his
phone several attempts were made to engage Robert in conversations that might lead him to reveal something
incriminating but he didn't say a single word that implied a new level of guilt in 2014 Robert Penny vol arily
agreed to a series of police interviews he admitted he'd been unfaithful to Margaret while they living
overseas but strongly denied having an affair leading up to her death Robert outright rejected claims
there had been any animosity between the couple in 1991 saying that he loved his
wife dearly and was devastated by her death he acknowledged that his marriage to Kim happened quickly but explained
that his Minister had advised him to get on with his life and put himself back together the interviewing detectives
asked how Robert could have possibly known that a tail cone was potentially used to drink the
attack he said he couldn't remember but that he'd possibly been told by someone or had arrived at the conclusion
himself as for the alleged comments about hiring a Hitman Robert flat out denied this
saying I didn't know any bloody Hitman he urged investigators to check his bank statements if they didn't believe him
saying he had never associated with Outlaws when asked if he was involved with Margaret's death in any way Robert
became exasperated he questioned how anyone could think he had a motive for killing
his wife saying we had a wonderful 36 years Christ it's abhorent to me the answer is
no there's no way in the world my conscience is completely [Music] clear by 2015 Robert Penny was 83 years
old and living in Melbourne given his age investigators knew that time was of the
essence although they didn't have any physical evidence tying Robert to the double murder the circumstantial
evidence mounted to a point that the decision was made to place him under arrest in April 200 15 almost 24 years
after the fact Robert Penney was forly charged with the murders of Margaret peny and CLA
ACO 7 months later a committal hearing was held with 50 Witnesses scheduled to give
evidence however on the first day something happened that turned the case against Robert peny on its
head one of the major pieces of physical evidence that had been taken from the old London qufu crime seene was a piece
of tissue paper it had been found next to the tail comb on a chair in the shampoo room and was lightly stained
with blood in the early days of the investigation DNA technology was in its infancy but recent advances had revealed
that the tissue paper returned three DNA profiles Margaret Penny CLA axes and the
partial profile of an unknown male the partial profile was compared against several Persons of Interest in
the Portland case including Robert peny there were no matches presented with this information
the magistrate overseeing Robert's committ hearing adjourned the proceedings to give the prosecution an
opportunity to reassess their case the fact that no match was identified didn't necessarily eliminate
anyone from the investigation the scope of the testing was limited given it was only a partial
profile and there was nothing to definitively confirm that the profile had come from the
offender regardless it weakened the prosecution's argument significantly the hearing was
rescheduled for May the following year but it never went ahead in March 2016 Robert peny passed away from natural
causes some assumed this meant the case was closed but as Robert's lawyer pointed out his client had died an
innocent man a police spokesperson said this investigation remains active and the
Victoria Police Homicide Squad is committed to finding the person or persons responsible for these
deaths a request was approved for a new inquest to be held into the deaths of Clare aox and Margaret Penny unlike the
original inquest conducted in 1995 which only lasted one day the 2016 inquest was
comprehensive over 10 days 28 Witnesses were called to give evidence as the coroner went over thousands of pages of
official reports and investigative notes Robert Penny's comments about the tail comb were a major
Focus first and foremost the coroner wanted to establish whether a tail comb could have actually caused the injuries
inflicted on Margaret Penny's torso the forensic pathologist who attended the crime scene back in 1991 said the wounds
hadn't penetrated deep enough to determine what type of weapon had been used whatever it was he was of the
opinion that the tail comb found in the shampoo room wasn't a match however an expert from the United
Kingdom studied Margaret's injuries and determined that a tail comb was a quote possible and plausible explanation for
the unusual injuries the mysterious items had pierced through Margaret's clothing a
forensic expert who analyzed the clothing said she couldn't rule out the possibility that a tail comb had caused
the damage but it also could have been any other thin blunt instrument such as a screwdriver or knitting
needle no evidence was presented that put Robert peny at the scene of the crime or indicated he'd arranged for
someone to carry out the murders on his behalf Focus was therefore placed on a possible motive
Witnesses were called to ascertain the exact dates that Robert began a romantic relationship with his second wife
Kim Kim claimed to the relationship it didn't become intimate until several months after Margaret's murder which was
verified by her daughter who was living with the couple at the time no evidence was forthcoming to
indicate the two had been romantically involved while Margaret was still alive while various Witnesses expressed
their opinion that Robert peny didn't grieve appropriately following his wife's death evidence was also presented
to the contrary some believed that Robert was clearly traumatized and had grieved
intensely for a long period of time Council appearing for Clare aco's family described the circumstantial
evidence against Robert Penney as extraordinary summing up they said Robert peny was either involved in the
murder of his wife and Clare AO or he was the victim of the most remarkable Confluence of Misfortune and his own
strange behavior that it strains credibility the coroner agreed that some comments made by Robert were highly
unusual but that overall a majority of the circumstantial evidence was open to different
interpretations the coroner concluded that Robert peny was not involved in the murders of Clare acox or Margaret penny
in any capacity stating the prosecution of Mr peny gave great hope to the AO and
peny families about the prospect of closure or finality to a pain so immeasurably etched into their
hearts the threads of circumstantial evidence when woven together have given the perception that Mr peny was a
plausible suspect however those threads begin to unravel and as they are analyzed alone
and as a whole as has been done in this inquest the likelihood of Mr penny involvement Fades and many of the
questions remain painfully unanswered the coroner couldn't determine whether the man Robert Mensel
had seen running from the scene had anything to do with the crime and said that other Persons of Interest including
Gordon and Russell Smith could not be excluded her report concluded this was a heinous and violent
crime committed against two innocent women whose lives were tragically cut short I acknowledge these crimes have
immeasurably impacted the lives of the friends and family of Mrs peny and Mrs aox and cast a dark shadow over the
community of Portland based upon the available evidence I am unable to identify the
person or persons who murdered Mrs peny and Mrs aox therefore the murders remain
unsolved and this homicide investigation remains open as of early 2024 the murders of Clare
acox and Margaret peny are still unsolved the building on the corner of Julia and benting streets has since been
repainted the old London signage covered up but paint can't cover Old Wounds after 32 years some residents of
Portland still go out of their way to avoid walking past the old London building haunted by the memories of what
happened inside theories remain about who was responsible for the grizzly crime other
convicted Killers have been considered and ruled out over time the identity of the so-called horrible man remains a
mystery although it is possible he was an innocent individual who was too embarrassed or fearful to come forward
to clear his name the check stolen from the salon on the day of the slain has never been
cashed the bloody footprint found at the scene remains a key piece of evidence although investigators can't say with
certainty whether the print was left by the killer or someone who sullied the crime scene prior to it being cordoned
off the existence of DNA and fingerprint evidence means there's a possibility this case could one day be solved and
the reward for information still exists until that day comes the families of Clare acox and Margaret Penny will
continue to seek in answers cla's son Tim told the age newspaper that he wouldn't wish the
experience on anyone saying it's consumed the latter half of our Lives it's daily it's confronting it
wears you down what it is about now is closure someone held to account speaking to wartha Leon Wallace
Tim said the last thing I can and need to do for mom is to witness Justice being
carried out until then we will always be wondering who why what if the murders led to an irreparable
fracture between the penny family not only had Jacqueline and Anthony lost their mother their suspicion against
Robert changed their relationship with their father the relationship between the siblings also suffered in the wake
of the crime and Anthony eventually changed his name Margaret's daughter Jacqueline told Leone Wallace you never
get over it there's not one day where you don't play detective in your own head it just never goes
away Claire's husband Peter spent years wondering what his wife's last words were a few years after the murders he
told the warnable standard that he'd love to have a few minutes of the Killer's Time Peter said I'd like to
speak with him even if he just called me up and told me he did it I would like to know how he feels
knowing about the pain he's inflicted on others and the hurt that others have got
to endure because of his actions while Peter was thankful for all the support he received from the
Portland Community following cla's death he felt like no one could understand his
pain and suffering unless they'd been through something similar Peter said I know of people who
used to complain about people snoring but snoring can be the best music in the world ask any
[Music] [Music] Widow e

Case 276: Claire Acocks & Margaret Penny

May 3 1991, was a typical Friday for 58-year-old Margaret Penny. In the afternoon, she visited the Old London Coiffure in the heart of Portland, Victoria, for her weekly hair appointment with 49-year-old Claire Acocks. But when the two women are found stabbed to death in the salon’s shampoo room, the Portland rumour mill goes into overdrive.

Who could be motivated to commit such a brazen and vicious crime in the middle of the day, in the busiest part of town? And who was the “horrible man” with a hatred of hairdressers who had tormented Claire in the weeks before the crime?

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

Website https://www.casefilepodcast.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/casefile Twitter https://twitter.com/case_file Instagram https://www.instagram.com/casefilepodcast Patreon https://www.patreon.com/casefile Casefile Presents https://casefilepresents.com

RESOURCES

For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-276-claire-acocks-margaret-penny

Brief Summary

The episode covers the unsolved 1991 murders of Clare Acox and Margaret Penny in Portland, Australia, detailing the investigation and community impact.

Key points

The Horrible Man Encounter. CLA Acox's unsettling meeting with a strange man foreshadows a tragic event.
Murder in Broad Daylight. Two women are found dead in a hair salon during peak hours, shocking the community.
Community in Shock. After the murders, the town of Portland changed overnight, with women afraid to leave home.
A Grieving Husband. Peter Acox struggled with his wife's murder, ultimately relocating to cope with the pain.
Mysterious Confession. Russell Smith claimed his cousin Gordon confessed to the murders, raising new questions.
Renewed Investigation. In 2013, the investigation into the murders was reopened, uncovering overlooked details.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

How can you go to the hairdresser and not come back?

Robert Penny expressing disbelief after the news of the murders.

18:12WatchMar 16, 2024

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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