William "The Mutilator" Macdonald

The Mutilator Emerges

Sydney Australia skyline in the early 1960's

Moving to Sydney in January 1961, William MacDonald found accommodation in East Sydney and took a job as a letter sorter with the Postal Department under the assumed name of Alan Edward Brennan. Before long he was well known around the parks and public toilets that were the meeting places of Sydney's homosexuals.

Soon the voices in MacDonald's head were again urging him to kill and on the night of Saturday, June 4, 1961, his career as the Mutilator began. He had struck up a conversation with Alfred Reginald Greenfield, 41, as he sat on a bench in Green Park, opposite St Vincent's Hospital in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst.

ST. Vincent's Hospital

MacDonald offered Greenfield, a homeless, unemployed blacksmith, a drink from his bottle and lured him to the nearby Domain Baths on the pretext that he had more bottles in his bag. But there was more than beer in the bag. MacDonald had bought a brand new, long-bladed, razor sharp knife especially for the occasion.

By day, the Domain Baths was a popular public swimming spot situated on Sydney Harbour. By night the Domain's environs were the haunt of derelicts. There were many alcoves to conceal the drinkers from the winter chill.

MacDonald and Greenfield chatted away as they shared another bottle of beer on the half hour walk to the Domain, where they settled into a secluded corner. The need to kill Alfred Greenfield had by now become overwhelming but MacDonald controlled his urge until the man had drunk all of the beer and had fallen asleep on the grass. William MacDonald removed the knife from its sheath as he knelt over the sleeping derelict. He brought it down swiftly and buried the blade deep into his victim's neck. He lifted and plunged the knife again and again until Alfred Greenfield lay still. The ferocity of the attack had severed the arteries in Greenfield's neck. Blood was everywhere but his killer had come prepared. He had brought a light plastic raincoat in his bag and had put it on before he attacked the unsuspecting Greenfield.

The Mutilator removed his victim's trousers and underpants, lifted the testicles and penis and sliced them off at the scrotum with his knife. The Mutilator then threw Alfred Greenfield's genitals into the harbor, wrapped his knife in his raincoat, put it in his bag and walked home.

The Mutilator stopped along the way and washed his hands and face under a tap. Nobody seemed to have noticed him as he walked home on that showery, dark night. If they did, they didn't remember him.