IT’S been two and a half years since Australia’s “worst female serial killer” Kathleen Folbigg was cleared of murdering her four babies after a bombshell update in her case.
The 58-year-old, whose children died suddenly between 1989 and 1999, has now spoken out about the “pain” she’ll experience “forever” as a “childless mum.”
Kathleen Folbigg was accused of murdering her four babies between 1989 and 1999Credit: AFP
It’s been two and a half years since the 58-year-old was cleared of murdering her four babiesCredit: Getty
“I will always say I’m mum,” she said, speaking on MamaMia’s True Crime Conversations podcast. “I simply say I’m a childless mum. As cruel as that sounds that is what I am.
“I’m in the relegated, unfortunate club, of being a childless mum.
“It’s a pain that will be there forever. It’s never going to go away. People say time heals. I said, I don’t believe that. I think time lessons, not necessarily heals.”
The deaths were initially put down to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, however, Kathleen’s former husband Craig later found incriminating diaries written by his wife.
In them, she wrote about her “dangerous moods” and “losing control like last times”, and admitted the “stress made me do terrible things.”
She also questioned if she was schizophrenic and said she “deserved” not to have a fourth child when she was struggling to conceive.
In 1996 she wrote: “Obviously I am my father’s daughter,” referring to her professional hitman dad who murdered her mother in January 1969.
During her trial, these diary entries were used to portray her as an unfit mother and were seen as “admissions of guilt.”
Despite always maintaining her innocence, prosecutors alleged that she smothered her children Caleb, Patrick, Sarah, and Laura — who were aged between 19 days and 18 months – to death.
Folbigg, who said the diaries were just a record of her depression, was jailed for 25 years in 2003 after being convicted of three murder charges and one count of manslaughter.
I’m in the relegated, unfortunate club, of being a childless mum. It’s a pain that will be there forever
Kathleen Folbigg , 58, from Australia
However, in a 𝓈𝒽𝓸𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 turn of events, prosecutors later accepted that genetic evidence suggested the children could have suffered from a rare mutation.
At the inquiry, a team of immunologists found Folbigg’s daughters shared a genetic mutation called CALM2 G114R, which can cause sudden cardiac death.
Carola Vinuesa, a professor at Australian National University, told the BBC: “We did the first test and found a [gene] variant that looked very suspicious… even then in November 2018, we thought this [a] very high likelihood, if found in the children, to be the culprit.”
Scientists also revealed her sons had a different genetic mutation that was linked to sudden-onset epilepsy in mice.
On June 5 2023, after evidence suggested her children may have died naturally, Kathleen Folbigg was given a full pardon and immediately released from prison.
Kathleen Folbigg’s eldest son Caleb died aged just 20 daysCredit: Alamy
Patrick died at just eight months oldCredit: Rex
Sarah was ten months old when she passed awayCredit: Rex
Kathleen’s daughter Laura died aged 18 monthsCredit: Alamy
The 58-year-old has always maintained her innocenceCredit: EPA
Two decades on and the trauma is something Kathleen has to live with on a daily basis – especially when she sees other children.
“I can still walk down the street and spot, especially little toddlers will make me smile,” she explained. “But I do suffer the next day with the depression hit.
“I tend to want to not really go out or not see anyone.”
The case has since become known as one of Australia’s greatest miscarriages of justice – and Kathleen, who has few memories of her own children, can’t help but think how different her life would’ve been now.
“All of my children would have been grown adults. Moved on, and I possibly could have been a grandmother by now,” she said on the podcast.
Following her 2023 pardon and release from prison, she said in a statement at the time: “Today is a victory for science and especially truth.
“And for the last 20 years I have been in prison I have forever and will always think of my children, grieve for my children and miss them and love them terribly.”
And Kathleen can still remember the exact moment she was told she was going to be released.
I try really hard not to have any negativity or toxic thoughts about the past
Kathleen Folbigg , 58, from Australia
After being called upstairs and assuming she was in trouble, she was told: “By the way, you’ve been pardoned. We’re releasing you right now.”
Her response?
“I actually swore at the poor man. I’m pretty sure, pretty much, saying you gotta be effing kidding me,” she explained. “It was all just a bit too sudden.”
Kathleen, who spent 20 years in prison was pardoned and released Monday June 5, 2023Credit: AP
Kathleen Folbigg reacting whilst being questioned about the deaths of her four childrenCredit: EPA
Scientific evidence suggested that her four children died by natural causes as she had insistedCredit: EPA
On her release Katherine said ‘today is a victory for science and especially truth’Credit: AP
The adjustment to life since being on the outside has proven quite the “struggle” for Kathleen, who is back in Newcastle.
She explained: “Everything now seems to be on fast-forward, high speed. People have to have 18, 19 hours out of a day of a 24-hour period just to get everything done.
“I find it quite disconcerting that there is a lack of communication, conversation, and people just don’t look up anymore.”
Now, Kathleen, who enjoys spending her days in the outdoors, is simply trying to focus on moving forward with her life and enjoy the years ahead of her – after all, she’s had so many that has been wasted.
“There’s no dwelling on the past too much,” she said. “You can’t change the past.
“I try really hard not to have any negativity or toxic thoughts about the past.”