A notorious killer who decapitated a woman and buried her in a strawberry patch could walk free in two months.
Nicole Therese McGuinness from Adelaide, Australia, killed 53-year-old truck driver Joanne Lillecrapp in November 2001.
After brutally stabbing Lillecrapp to death, McGuinness and her partner Donna Lee Casagrande decapitated and dismembered the body.
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They attempted to cover up their crimes by burying parts of the body in a strawberry patch, leading McGuinness to be referred to as the Strawberry Patch Killer.
What made the case all the more shocking is that Lillecrapp had been attempting to help the women get their lives back together amid their drug addictions.
McGuinness pleaded guilty to the murder in 2003 and went on to serve 18 years behind bars, while Casagrande admitted to manslaughter and was sentenced to 12 years.
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But just months after McGuinness' release on parole in January 2021, she relapsed on the drugs she had been addicted to at the time of the stabbing.
The convict was locked up once more before being released on parole again in September of that year, only to fall into the same pattern.
Authorities tested her positive for methamphetamine and opioids, among other substances and she was sent back to jail.
Today (August 16), McGuinness was given a new 12-month parole period, with the time served meaning she could walk free in October.
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Lillecrapp's brother Ron has spoken out against the news, having fought to keep McGuinness behind bars where he thinks she should remain.
Earlier this year, he chose to confront the murderer by reading a victim impact statement to the court.
"I'm in total disbelief of the suggestion of her release into the community," he said at the time.
"I fear that this monster thinks that she can be rehabilitated into the community and each time she's had the privilege she's turned to drugs and reoffended.
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"I cannot express enough how this has affected my life, along with other people, and I wish there was a way of saying entirely what I think. I am hurt, I am angry, I am frustrated.
"I have to live with that for the rest of my life. So who actually has the life sentence here?"
Despite being able to address the court, Ron has since told 9News that his impact statement was edited heavily by lawyers just before he was due to deliver it.
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"I don't think she's fit to call human, but I wasn't allowed to say that," he said, adding that since his sibling is not there to speak up for herself, he'll do it for her.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
Topics: Crime, Australia, News