Death Row at Truro by Geoff Plunkett
Genre: True crime
Read: 12th April 2025
Published: 3rd August 2022
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Innocent young women, a sadistic serial killing duo and … the true story as revealed by the lead detective.
Australia’s most prolific serial sexual killers met in prison. They were a complete Christopher Worrell, the charismatic psychopathic youngster; and James Miller, the older and socially awkward loner. For Miller, it was love at first sight. They developed an ominous sexual bond – proving that opposites can attract – and then kill.
Once free, the inseparable tag team slayed as many people as notorious Australian serial killer Ivan Milat. Whereas Milat took a year to murder seven victims, the duo achieved the same in seven short weeks… the last four killed in only six days.
The frenzied carnage only stopped when Worrell died in a car accident. So ended the life of Australia’s own BTK. Like America’s Dennis Radar, Worrell bound, tortured and killed – because he could.
Revealed for the first time is the full account of the victims, the serial killers and the lead detective, a relentless investigator who broke the silence of the surviving murderer, the only person who knew the full truth... But was Miller's truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
MY THOUGHTS:
Seven women murdered...two depraved men...seven short weeks...
I had not even heard about the deaths at Truro until channel 7 aired their Crime Investigation Australia episode "The Killing Fields of Truro"...and suddenly, my eyes were opened to one of our worst serial killing sprees in our nation's history.
I'll not lie, Christopher Worrell was good-looking, appealing and very easy on the eye for day - mid-70s. I am not surprised he was able to attract and lure seven innocent teenagers to climb into a car with him and James Miller, and to their respective fates. Look at Ted Bundy, one of the most famous serial killers the world has ever seen. He was just like Worrell. He had charm, charisma and he was good-looking and appealing. He was a chameleon. That is what makes psychopaths so dangerous - their ability to assimilate and blend in, seemingly harmless and charismatic.
I've read quite a few true crime books and I like how this one presents the facts as they were told at the time and then addresses the facts as the previous statements made by Miller were debunked. He begins with an introduction to the killings in a brief summary of facts before leading into the untimely death of Worrell, thus ending the killing rampage. By this stage, no one even knows there had been any killings. And Miller,as the lone survivor, certainly wasn't saying anything.
Plunkett then moves onto the discovery of the bodies in the order in which they were found. The findings were shocking and lead detectives to uncover a murderous killing spree that only ended with the death of one of the duo. He then examines Worrell then Miller respectively before moving onto the seven week spree in which the murders occurred. But the presentation was based on Miller's respresentation, as he was the only surviving informant. After Worrell's death, Miller's downward spiral is evident - which was in direct contrast to the statements he had given police. But again, he was the only survivor. They could only take him at his word. Or could they?
The author the introduces the police into the mix before the murders and leading up to and ultimately the discovery which then put Truro on the map. One Detective Sergeant's doggedness, psychology and empathetic determination lead them to a conviction that was too little too late but better than nothing.
Plunkett then retells the killings of each of the girls through facts determined through clever detective work and the elimination of false facts, thus debunking what the police had initially been told and the public been lead to believe.
And yet despite the discovery of his depraved killing spree, Worrell was still being remembered by some as "a gentle and sensitive soul". Even his gravestone bears the epitaph "untold love and joy he brought to all". I think his victims would disagree with those two statements. The location of his final resting place is published on FindAGrave.com with people even now, as recent as a week ago, leaving RIP messages. It beggars belief. And yet, Plunkett delves further into what makes a psychopath a psychopath. He even goes as far as to say that he wasn't a monster, as those monikers do nothing to help understanding why people like Worrell or Bundy do what they do. They were simply human beings that were either wired wrong and the product of their environments. To truly understand why they do what they do, one really has to study human psychology...though it is far more difficult for most people to even comprehend. However, it really says something if the mother of one of the murdered girls stands up and says that she forgives him.
This is a detailed account of one of Australia's worst cases in history and yet it is done so with empathy and sensitivity. I actually read this in a day and is one of the best accounts without all the faff and padding. It presents the facts (Miller's account versus what really happened), the lives of the girls and who they were and the outcome. All without the dramatisation.
It goes without saying that Worrell would have continued killing had he himself not been killed that night. But Miller was not the innocent party he claimed to be. Plunkett shows that through facts and transcripts and catches Miller out in his lies.
If you're a true crime fan, then you won't want to pass this one up. It's shocking but empathetic.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
'Death Row at Truro' has been shortlisted for Australia's 2023 Ned Kelly best true crime award (Australian Crime Writers Association).
His work has featured in all major newspapers, on radio and TV.
