Photo by Peter Soleness

The Innocent Serial Killer

Australia’s first serial killer had a very special skill set.

Edward Anderson
The Partnered Pen
Published in
5 min readOct 23, 2019

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Each country has a serial killer that terrorized the neighborhoods in which they lived. None of the other serial killers ignited as much fear as “The Sydney Mutilator.” Over the course of about three years, men would walk through the town in fear, hoping they could reach their destination safely with their genitals intact.

Of course, Australia’s “first true serial killer” would be even more sadistic and evil than others. The heat must bake the evil in more down there. William MacDonald took the task of bringing the devil to Earth in human form to heart. But there is more to his story.

Was he a villain or a victim?

Before The Murders

MacDonald enlisted in the army at the tender age of 19. This was 1943 during the height of World War II. He was reluctant to make friends with fellow soldiers, which made it difficult for anyone to get a read on him.

Until one night, in which MacDonald alleges that he was raped by a corporal. After initially saying he was traumatized by the event, he later admitted he liked it. This event seems to be the beginning of the series of atrocities he would commit later in life.In 1947, MacDonald was discharged from the army. He was…

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Edward Anderson
The Partnered Pen

Edward has written hundreds of acclaimed true crime articles and has won numerous awards for his short stories. His most recent book is Barbenheimer.