33. The Serial Ax Murderer
John Lynch was unusual among serial killers, in that his preferred murder weapon was an ax. His killing spree began soon after his acquittal in 1835, when he stole eight cattle from a farm and set out to sell them in Sydney. En route, he encountered a man with an Aboriginal boy driving a bigger herd of cattle, loaded with wheat. So Lynch gained their trust, camped with them, then murdered both with a tomahawk, and continued on to Sydney with their goods.
On the way back from Sydney, he encountered a father and son driving another herd. He murdered both with his ax, and took their herd. Next, Lynch decided to settle accounts with the Mulligans, a family that owed him £30 for stolen goods he had sold them. He visited their farm, chopped them up with his ax, and burned their bodies. He then coolly made himself at home on his victims’ farm. Assuming the name John Dunleavy, John Lynch informed the Mulligans’ neighbors that he had bought it from the family, who had left town in a hurry without telling anybody.
