Bio

Archibald Beattie McCafferty was born in 1948 in Scotland and moved to Australia with his family as a child. They settled first in Melbourne and later in the western suburbs of Sydney. His early years were marked by repeated delinquency, theft, and constant contact with juvenile authorities.

By adolescence, McCafferty had already spent time in correctional institutions and developed a reputation for aggression and criminal behavior. As an adult, he accumulated numerous convictions for property crime, assault, and other offenses. He also developed heavy alcohol and drug habits.

In 1972, he married Janice Redington. The relationship was unstable and violent. Their infant son, Craig, died in 1973 in what authorities ruled an accidental suffocation. McCafferty blamed others for the death and later claimed the tragedy triggered delusions and voices commanding him to kill seven people.

Murder Story

In August 1973, only months after the death of his infant son, McCafferty led a small group of young associates through a series of violent attacks in Sydney.

On August 24, the group targeted George Anson, a 50-year-old man walking home after drinking at a hotel. McCafferty attacked and fatally stabbed him.

Three days later, Ronald Neil Cox, a coal miner and father, stopped to help hitchhikers in bad weather. He was forced to drive to a cemetery, where he was shot in the head. 

Soon afterward, driving instructor Evangelos Kollias was abducted after picking up hitchhikers and was also shot dead.

Police closed in when one gang member feared he would become the next victim and informed authorities. McCafferty was arrested while armed and quickly admitted responsibility for the killings. At trial in 1974, he claimed insanity and said he heard the voice of his dead son demanding seven deaths in exchange for being reborn. The jury rejected the defense and convicted him. He received three life sentences.

Even in prison, McCafferty remained violent. In 1982, inmate Edward James Lloyd was killed inside prison, and McCafferty was later convicted of manslaughter in connection with the attack. He also faced other prison offenses over the years.

After decades in custody, authorities eventually considered him suitable for release. On May 1, 1997, Archibald Beattie McCafferty was paroled and deported to Scotland, ending one of the most notorious prison histories in Australia.