Evalyn Clow has been dealing with the pain of her sister, nephew, and nieces' murder for the past 23 years.
"It gets harder, it affects you mentally, emotionally, and physically," she claims.One of Western Australia's most heinous mass murders claimed the lives of Evalyn's sister, Karen MacKenzie, and her family.
They were assassinated by William Mitchell on February 21, 1993, in their secluded Greenough house, which is 400 kilometers north of Perth.Before raping and sodomizing Karen, he used an axe to kill Danny, a 16-year-old, first. Then he focused on Amara, age seven, and Katrina, age five.
At a friend's house earlier that evening, Karen had turned down Mitchell's approaches, but she accepted his offer to drive her home.
The rest of the evening was spent by Mitchell drinking, smoking marijuana, and using amphetamines before he returned to the remote property and murdered everyone there.
Evalyn is plagued by more than just the horrific nature of the murders; she is also troubled by the war she believes she must wage to keep Mitchell behind bars.
Mitchell received a second denial of parole this week. It is a routine process that occurs every three years.
"Every time it comes up, it just opens everything up again, the same trauma and the same questions," explains Evalyn.
But it's something I have to do if I want to keep him inside. I want to make sure he stays inside until he is too old and weak to hurt anyone else, therefore the one year I don't do it will be the year he gets out.
Since Mitchell is now 44 years old, Evalyn believes it would be premature to release him.
He is still rather young to start a family and live a normal life. I don't think he deserves to have his own family when he took it away from my sister, nephew, and nieces.
Evalyn is adamant about opposing Mitchell's potential parole every three years, but she doesn't want to go through with it.
Why can't the legislation be altered to better serve folks like him? Why not simply decide that his release will not occur? Why must the families of murder victims endure this?The law mandates that his parole will be evaluated every three years, even if he doesn't actively ask for it. Therefore, my family and I have to go through this entire process repeatedly. Each time, the difficulty increases.
The tragedy that befell Evalyn Clow's family is utterly heartbreaking, and it's understandable why she would want to keep their killer, William Patrick Mitchell, behind bars. The pain and trauma caused by such a horrific event reverberate through generations, leaving scars that never fully heal.
It's commendable that Ms. Clow is speaking out and actively advocating for changes in parole laws to ensure that offenders like Mitchell remain incarcerated. The fact that she's enduring such emotional turmoil while fighting for justice speaks volumes about her strength and determination.
The support garnered through the online petition reflects a widespread sentiment that violent offenders should be held accountable for their actions and that the safety and well-being of the community should be paramount.
One can only hope that the parole board and the Attorney-General carefully consider all the factors involved, including the wishes of the victims' families and the potential risk to society, before making any decisions regarding Mitchell's release.
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