Casefile True Crime - Casefile Archives 9: The Frankston Serial Killer

Episode Date: May 9, 2026

*** Content Warning: serial killer, extreme violence ***In early 1993, Frankston resident Donna received a series of unnerving prank calls. Afraid of being home alone, she accompanied her boyfriend during his pizza delivery shift, only to return home to find her worst fears had come true. Her pet cats had been killed, and written in blood on the lounge room wall were the words: ‘Donna, you’re dead.’ This marked the beginning of a five-month crime spree that terrorised locals and resulted in the murders of three young women – Elizabeth Stevens, Deborah Fream and Natalie Russell. The perpetrator was dubbed ‘The Frankston Serial Killer’, but who was he, and when would he strike again?---Casefile Archives is a series of special bonus releases revisiting the earliest years of the show. The re-run episodes have been completely edited, polished, re-recorded and freshly produced from start to finish to match our current production standards. They are not complete rewrites - our goal wasn’t to alter the cases or reshape the writing, but to preserve the original storytelling while giving the production the refinement it didn’t have when we started the show back in 2016. Where appropriate, updates have been added, but the core structure and storytelling remain faithful to the originals. Because of this, these re-releases may sound a little different to our recent episodes, but they allow us to bring some of the earliest episodes up to the technical quality listeners expect today.---Narration – Anonymous HostResearch & writing – Anonymous HostAdditional writing & editing – Erin MunroProduction & music – Mike MigasAudio editing – Anthony TelferSign up for Casefile Premium:Apple PremiumSpotify PremiumPatreonFor all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/casefile-archives-9-the-frankston-serial-killer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Case File continues into its 10th year, we're currently taking a very short break from new episodes. Brand new cases will be returning on May 23 for premium subscribers and May 30 for the regular feed. But in the meantime, we're continuing our special bonus series Case File Archives, a collection of releases revisiting the earliest years of the show, along with previously unreleased premium episodes. Over the next three weeks, we'll be releasing two fully re-recorded episodes from our first year of production, along with one episode that was previously only available to Patreon and premium subscribers. Rest assured that these are additional bonus releases and will not replace our standard schedule. We will still be delivering the same number of new episodes this year as we did last year.

Case File Archives is simply a way to mark the 10th year, revisit Somal or episodes and share stories that newer listeners may not have heard before. For the re-release episodes, we've fully edited, polished, re-recorded and freshly produced them from start to finish to match our current production standards. They are not complete rewrites. Our aim isn't to reshape the cases or alter the original storytelling, but to preserve them as they were first told while bringing them up to the level of production the show has today. Where appropriate, updates. have been added, but the core structure remains faithful to the originals. Because of this, these episodes may sound a little different to our recent work. Today's re-release is the Frankston

serial killer, originally released as Case 23 in June 2016. The case was first presented as a two-part series, with part one released on June 19, followed by Part 2 the following week. Thank you to everyone who has listened and supported us over the years. Now here is the next episode from Casewhile Archives, the Frankston Serial Killer. Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. website. Frankston City is a local government area in Victoria, located 40 kilometres southeast of

Melbourne. At the time of this episode's initial release, it had a population of about 135,000 people. Frankston City incorporates many different suburbs, including Frankston, Languaren, Frankston North, Seaford, and others. All of the places you will hear about in this episode are part of the Frankston City area. Our story begins in February 1993 on Claude Street in Seaford, where a local resident by the name of Donna Vaines was growing nervous. She lived in a unit there with her boyfriend, Les and her young infant, but lately Donna's home life had been disrupted by a series of prank phone calls.

Les worked as a pizza delivery driver, meaning he was typically out at night, leaving Donna home alone with the baby. Feeling uncomfortable due to the calls she had been receiving, Donna decided to spend one particular February evening driving around with Les while he worked rather than stay home alone. As it happened, Les only had a short shift that night, so they were back home within about an hour. The first thing they saw when they walked inside was Donna's cat on the lounge room floor, dead. A picture of a naked woman had been placed on top of the cat, and written on a wall in the cat's blood were the words, Donna, you're dead.

There were further horrific discoveries elsewhere in the unit. The entire place had been ransacked. Draws were pulled out, cupboards had been opened, and Donna's belongings were strewn everywhere. A knife had been used to slash and stab the walls and cabinets. The intruder had even done this in the nursery, slashing some of the baby's clothes. In the crib was another picture of a naked woman, stabbed through with a knife so viciously it cut through to the crib below. In the bathroom, Donner's two kittens lay dead, both violently killed. Shaving cream had been used to write the names Donna and Robin on the bathroom mirror.

This message baffled Donna, as she was. didn't know anybody named Robin, nor could she think of anybody who would so violently damage her home or harm her pets. Les wasn't her child's father, but the breakup with her ex-partner hadn't been that bad. He'd never been violent towards her during the relationship, and she couldn't believe he would start now. Police later questioned her ex and learned he had a solid alibi. Terrified, Donner left her unit immediately. and moved in with her sister, Trisha Vaines. Trisha's neighbour, Julia, comforted Donna.

She could empathise because she had just experienced a similar thing. When Julia was recently away for a holiday, somebody had broken into her unit and slashed every photo that featured her across her throat. The dress she'd worn to her engagement party was cut up as well. Just like Donna, Julia had to her. had no enemies and couldn't imagine who would be capable of such a thing. A young man who lived next door to Trisha reassured the two women that whoever was responsible was just a sicko and he would look out for them.

It wouldn't have seemed like it at the time, but in the coming months, Donner and Julia would learn how incredibly lucky they'd been. Tasmanian local Elizabeth Stevens had been living in foster care since she was 14. After she turned 18, she decided to relocate to Victoria to move in with her Auntie Rita and Uncle Paul, arriving in January 1993. They lived together in Patterson Avenue in the suburb of Lang Warren. Although Elizabeth was quiet and shy, she was also extremely friendly to anyone she met. She was studying at Taif in Frankston. For those not familiar with Taif, it is similar to Kemp.

community or technical college in other parts of the world. As Elizabeth had grown up in Tasmania, she didn't have many friends in the Frankston area and no boyfriends. When she wasn't studying, she liked to spend her time reading and mainly hung out at home. On Friday, June 11, 1993, four months after Donna Vane's violent break-in, Paul and Reader arrived home from work to find a note from Elizabeth on the kitchen bench. The note explained that she had gone to the TAFE library to study and would be back about 8pm. Elizabeth always made sure to let Paul and Rita know where she was,

so when it ticked over to 10pm and Elizabeth still wasn't home, Paul and Rita panicked. Paul got in his car and started driving around the streets looking for his niece. Elizabeth didn't drive, so she caught the bus to and from TAFE. Paul drove to Frankston Tafe, then back to Cranbourne Road, Lake Warren, where Elizabeth's bus stop was located. It was only a short walk from the bus stop to Paul and Rita's house. Paul took the same route as the bus before expanding his search into surrounding streets. He couldn't find any trace of Elizabeth.

The weather didn't help. Heavy rain and gusts of wind significantly reduced Paul's visibility. The couple called the police, who arrived just after 1am. The officer who attended Sergeant Webster immediately had a feeling something wasn't right. There were the missing person reports where a young person had a lot of friends, like to go out partying, took off with boyfriend or girlfriend or had trouble at home. Then there were the missing person reports that were completely out of character. Elizabeth was reliable, well-behaved, and left a note letting her auntie and uncle know

exactly where she was and when she'd be home. She didn't have a boyfriend or many friends at all, and she wasn't the partying type. The police conducted their own search, though there wasn't much they could do at that time of morning. The TAFE and library was shut and the bus company had finished up for the night. There was nobody's. to go on question. After they looked for Elizabeth without success, they made a report and left instructions for their day shift colleagues to follow up. The next day, a local man named Rod was down at Lloyd Park on Cranbourne-Franston Road in Lang Warren. Lloyd Park is a large area surrounded by scrub and trees, with playgrounds, barbecue facilities, a couple of sporting

fields and vast grassy areas. At night, it is a very quiet and isolated spot. Rod's wife had sent him to Lloyd Park to find a small pine tree they could decorate for their mid-year Christmas party. Rod walked along one of the tracks that weaved through the trees and scrub searching for a suitable tree. Instead, he discovered the body of Elizabeth Stevens. Police were called and set up a crime scene. Elizabeth had been the victim of a frenzied knife attack. Multiple stab wounds and a criss-cross pattern had been carved into her stomach.

The killer had also stomped on her face, breaking her nose. A post-mortem would reveal that Elizabeth was choked unconscious prior to being stabbed. Although her top had been removed, the bottom half of her clothing was intact. There was no evidence of sexual assault. Lloyd Park was only a short walk from Elizabeth's bus stop. Police believed Elizabeth had caught the bus from Frankston Tafe, then disembarked at her usual stop, where she was attacked. The area was quiet and isolated at the best of times,

but the previous night's howling wind and heavy rain would have prevented neighbours from hearing any screams. Paul and Rita's house actually backed on to Lloyd Park, When they spotted the flashing lights and numerous police cars over their back fence, they knew before the police even knocked on their door that Elizabeth had been found. A forensic examination turned up almost nothing. It had rained all night and was still raining that day, removing any possible evidence. A search of the area did reveal one thing, a piece of the knife blade.

The force of the attack had been so extreme that the killer's knife broke, but no prints or other evidence were found on the blade. Elizabeth's bag and the top half of her clothing were found nearby. Both were soaking wet, with all possible evidence washed away. As well as there being zero forensic evidence, nothing useful came from the police's extensive witness interviews. No disgruntled ex-boyfriends. no troubles at home, no issues at TAFE.

One theory was that maybe Elizabeth had accepted a ride from somebody to escape the bad weather. Every student who attended Elizabeth's TAFE was checked out. Some names that popped up raised a few eyebrows based on prior criminal history, but they were eventually eliminated from the investigation. Police set up a roadblock near Elizabeth's bus stop and displayed a mannequin dressed like her. but this didn't help jog anyone's memory. The bus driver couldn't remember Elizabeth and nor could the librarians. Appeals for other passengers on the bus to come forward didn't produce any other witnesses.

Police also issued public appeals on newspaper front pages and nightly news bulletins. They received more than 1,000 tip-offs, though unfortunately none amounted to anything. Nothing came out of an extensive door knock of every house in the area either. No forensic evidence, no witnesses, no suspects, no leads at all. Four weeks later, on Thursday, July 8, 1993, 41-year-old Rosa Toth got off a train at Seaford Station. It was 5.50pm. A short distance from the station was Seaford North Reserve. similar to nearby Lloyd Park, though not nearly as big.

It had a grass reserve with children's playgrounds, barbecue areas and sporting fields, surrounded by scrub and trees. Rosal walked along Railway Parade, which took her past Seaford North Reserve. She noticed a man standing next to the park's toilet block, but didn't think much of it. Although it was dark, there were other people in the area. Passengers who had disembarked the same train as Rosa were still back in the car park, and there was the odd car driving past. As Rosa passed to the man, he quickly ran up behind her, covered her mouth and forced her to the ground.

He dragged her from the footpath, down past the toilet block, then into the grass reserve area. The attack was quick. It was dark. Nobody saw a thing. Rosa kicked and struggled trying to break free from her attacker, but she couldn't. Pressing something up against her head, he told her he would blow her head off if she didn't stop fighting. But Rosa could tell he wasn't holding a gun. The object felt wooden. Rosa stopped struggling and her attacker relaxed, thinking the threat of the gun had worked. Rosa seized her opportunity and ran. She ran straight out onto the road, screaming as loudly as she could.

Her attacker didn't follow. He fled in the opposite direction through the reserve and sporting fields. A driver stopped and gave Rosa a lift home. Then Rosa reported the attempted deduction to the police. Her right leg was badly grazed, her clothing had been ripped, and some of her hair had been pulled out. She described her attacker as male 18 to 20 years old, wearing a black jacket and a beanie. He was approximately 180 centimetres tall, or just under six feet, with a round face and blue eyes.

Police took her statement, filled out a report, and sent it to detectives to have a look at. Elsewhere that same night, just a short distance away in Seaford's Caninook Avenue, a woman named Debbie Freem was at home. Debbie was 22 years old and had just given birth to a son who was only 12 days old. Her boyfriend was at work and Debbie was cooking dinner for a long-term mutual friend of theirs named Russell. Russell hadn't seen Debbie since her child's birth and both were looking forward to the catch-up. Debbie was making an omelette when she realized that there was no milk.

She told Russell she had the duck out to the shops, but it would only take two minutes, if that. Her son was asleep, so Debbie would leave him at home. It was 7pm when Debbie left the house. Russell occupied himself by watching TV. As two minutes turned to 10 and 10 turned to 20, he grew concerned. Where was Debbie? She said she'd only be two minutes. Russell didn't live in the area, so he wasn't sure which shop Debbie had gone to.

Besides, he couldn't go out to look for her, as that would mean leaving her baby home alone. After an hour had gone by, he called the police and the local hospital to see if there'd been any accidents in the area. There hadn't been. He then called Debbie's boyfriend, Gary Blair, who were a lot of his boyfriend, who were arranged to leave work early. He also called one of Debbie's friends who would come over to watch the baby. Gary and Russell then went out looking for Debbie. Gary directed Russell to the local shop where Debbie would have gone and they drove around the surrounding streets. There was no trace of her or her car, which was a grey nissimpulsar. The two men decided to drive to Frankston

police station to report Debbie missing. They sat anxiously throughout the night, waiting to hear from Debbie or from the police with some information. But they didn't hear anything. It was as if Debbie had vanished. Police visited all of the local shops, but nobody could remember serving Debbie. It didn't take detectives long to link Debbie's disappearance to the attack on Rosa Toth, which had happened in the same area, just one hour. earlier. Debbie lived right near Kananook train station, the next stop after Seaford Station, where Rosa was attacked. The two locations were just two kilometres apart. Moreover, they weren't far from Lloyd Park in the nearby suburb of Lang Warren where Elizabeth

Stevens was found. Even without the link to those other two attacks, Debbie Fram's disappearance was treated as sinister from the start. She'd had dinner cooking and a guest waiting, and she left her 12-day-old son at home. A search of nearby Caninook Creek was organized. Divers were called in to scour the water while the surrounding thick bush and scrub were also searched. Nothing was found. This time, an appeal to the public did reveal some interesting information. Several people came forward to report they'd seen a Grey Pulsar the same car as Debbie's, driving erratically. It was swerving and flashing its high beams at passing cars.

Had Debbie been trying to signal for help? The next day, Friday, a detective who was out dealing with an unrelated case happened to drive past a Grey Pulsar parked outside a Christian centre on Madden Street in Seaford, just two kilometres from where Debbie had gone missing the night before. Aware of Debbie's case and the car she'd been driving, the detective turned around to check out the pulsar. It was Debbie's. The front passenger side door was unlocked

and there was a dent in the centre of the bonnet. The damage looked recent. Debbie's boyfriend, Gary, confirmed the car hadn't been damaged prior to Debbie's disappearance. A forensic examiner, was quickly arranged and traces of Debbie's blood were found. Something else that stood out was the driver's seat. It was pushed right back. Debbie was short, so there was no way she would have had the seat back that far.

It certainly looked like foul play, but police had to keep an open mind. Four days later, on Monday, July 12, a farmer named Fred was out working on his farm on Taylor's in Karam Downs. Karam Downs lies east of Seaford and about a 15-minute drive from where Debbie had gone missing. Taylor's road itself was quiet and isolated, surrounded by farmland. Although it was part of the Frankston area, it seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere. That afternoon, Fred was driving around checking his fence line to make sure there were no holes or other damage that livestock could escape through.

Underneath a couple of large fern leaves by his fence line along Taylor's Road, Fred saw what he thought was a pile of dumped rubbish. As he drew closer, he started smirking. It was a mannequin. One of his neighbours was playing a trick on him. Good one, he thought. As he got closer still, he froze. Just that morning, Fred had read a newspaper article about the disappearance of Debbie Frim. In that moment, Fred knew that he'd found her. Police arrived and set up a crime scene. The case was very similar to that of Elizabeth Stevens.

Debbie had been the victim of a frenzied knife attack. There were no signs of sexual assault and a post-mortem would reveal she had been strangled as well. Debbie had numerous defensive wounds on her arms and hands and just as with the Elizabeth Stephen scene not a shred of forensic evidence was found Case file will be back shortly Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors Thank you for listening to this episode's ads

By supporting our sponsors you support CaseFile to continue to deliver quality content The media ran wild with the story and the Frankston area was gripped by fear. The recent attacks were linked to the unsolved murders of two other women that had previously occurred in the area. The first was Sarah McDermott who went missing from Kananook train station three years earlier in 1990. Bloodstains were found next to her vehicle as well as drag marks.

To this day, Sarah's body has never been found. however, a coroner ruled she met with foul play. A $1 million reward has been offered for information that helps solve her case. You can listen to our Case File Presents series about Sarah's case titled Searching for Sarah McDermott. The other victim was Michelle Brown, who was found murdered in Frankston in 1992. There's also a million dollar reward on offer for her case, which is now believed to have no connection. to the Frankston serial killer. To avoid confusion, I won't mention these two cases again.

Their inclusion here is to give an idea of what was happening at the time and what the media was reporting. Despite the uncertainty as to whether Sarah and Michelle's cases were linked to the 1993 attacks, whispers about a murderer in Frankston were no longer whispers. There was a serial killer on the loose who had killed at least two women and tried to 3rd. Newspapers ran panicked headlines. Police warned women to avoid travelling solo or going to their vehicles alone, especially at night and in quiet spots. Detectives conducted a search for anyone in the Frankston area with a history of violent attacks against women. 500 names were spat out

of the computer. That list was eventually narrowed down to 30 who were checked out more thoroughly. all were eventually cleared. Detectives also sought the help of a fellow officer who had spent 14 months training in criminal profiling at the FBI Academy in Quantico. He put together a profile which suggested that the killer was a male who had acted out on a strong fantasy that had been building up inside him for years. He was likely unemployed, but if he was employed, he would hold a menial job. The killer lived in and was very familiar with the Frankston area.

He would be aged between 18 and 24, was average looking, and would live alone. Based on the location of the attacks and the spot where Debbie's car was found, the profiler marked out an area on the map that he believed the killer lived in. As the killer had obviously driven Debbie's car from the crime scene at Taylor's Road, then dumped it on Madden Street in Seaford, it was thought that he lived somewhere in that area. Not too close, but not too far either. As was the case with any profile, it was only a guide and could apply to many people. Detectives were encouraged not to discount anyone just because they didn't fit the profile.

The constant news cycle about a serial killer on the loose meant that local residents were living in fear. The Frankston area had been a quiet, friendly place. Now people cast suspicious eyes everywhere they went, wondering, Is that person the killer? Some started changing their habits, while others put their houses on the market so they could move away entirely. But there was a problem trying to sell houses. Nobody wanted to move into the Frankston area.

Property sales dried up and rental homes remained vacant. People started arming themselves with hockey sticks and cricket bats. Women carried oven cleaner in their handbags to spray in the eyes of any attacker. Enrollments in self-defense classes skyrocketed. In response to the public's panic, police commenced operation reassurance. The Frankston area was flooded with extra police. It was a high visibility operation designed to make the public feel safe, but also to deter further attacks. On Friday, July 30, just three weeks after the murder of Debbie Freene,

a postal worker was delivering mail on her motorbike along Sky Road in Frankston. Sky Road is only a short distance from the other crime scenes, all of which were within an eight-kilometer radius. At about 2.30pm, the postal worker noticed a rusty yellow Toyota Corona without number plates parked near the entrance of a bike track that ran past the nearby golf course. The track was used as a shortcut to get from Sky Road to Frankston North. A high wire fence boarded either side with overgrown trees, thick scrub and grass pushed up against it. The bike track was quiet and isolated and wasn't visible from the road. You couldn't see it from the golf course either due to the trees and heavy scrub between them. As the postal worker observed

at the old Toyota parked by the track's entrance, she noticed a man with a chubby face sitting in the driver's seat. He wore a dark-coloured cap and was gazing down Sky Road. As she rode past, the man slouched down in his seat as if he didn't want to be seen. There was something off about the man. Given the news about a violent serial killer stalking the streets of Frankston, the postal worker decided to report him to the police. She pulled into the driveway of a nearby home and knocked on the front door, asking to use their phone. As she did so, she noticed a schoolgirl walking along Sky Road towards the bike track. The girl was 17-year-old Natalie Russell, a year-12 student at John Paul College, a Catholic high school located just the. off Sky Road. Natalie had finished the day with a free period, so she'd left early to go home and

study for upcoming exams. Two days earlier, the principal of John Paul College warned students at a school assembly to avoid shortcuts home, including the nearby bike track. But plenty of kids had ignored the caution, and the track remained in use. At this time, however, Natalie was the only student headed there due to her early finish. It was a much quicker way for her to walk home to Frankston North. As Natalie walked up Sky Road, she was being watched through a pair of binoculars. Realising where she was headed, the man stopped watching her, he got out of the car, ran up the bike track and waited. A short time later, Natalie walked past the now empty yellow Toyota. and made her way onto the track.

Police responded to the postal workers' call about a suspicious mail in the Toyota, but when they arrived, there was nobody in the car. They door-knocked some nearby houses, though didn't learn anything useful. When a call for an armed robbery came over the radio, the officers had to leave and respond to that. By this time, school had finished for the day

and students were now starting to find. flood the streets, heading off in various directions. A few other kids ventured onto the bike track. One noticed a shoe lying in the middle of the track right next to a hole in the fence that led into the trees and scrub. Another noticed a man walking hurriedly towards him. Fear gripped the child, then quickly passed when the man kept walking without saying anything, keeping his head down and his hands shoved in his pockets.

At 8pm that night, Natalie Russell's family called Frankston Police Station to report her missing. Natalie was always home before dark and she made sure to call her parents to let them know where she was. She was a good kid, quiet and well-behaved with a close circle of friends. She'd never run off before. Needless to say, the report was treated with great urgency. Police questioned. Natalie's parents and learnt about the bike track that she used to walk home. A search of the track was quickly arranged. Several holes had been cut along the wire fence that flanked the track.

It was through the third hole deep into the scrub and trees that they found Natalie's body. She had been the victim of a frenzied knife attack and sustained numerous defensive injuries. There was no sign of sexual assault. There was no question her murder was related to those of Elizabeth Stevens and Debbie Freem. A search of the crime scene and a forensic examination was postponed until the next day. Police didn't want to risk losing any evidence in the poor light. Organising floodlighting in the area would only increase the amount of foot traffic, in turn increasing the chances of a contaminated crime scene.

Their decision proved to be a wise one. Unlike the two previous cases, the site of Natalie Russell's murder provided a lot of forensic evidence. There was blood around the wire fence where the hole had been cut. The cut in the fence could be matched to a tool owned by the suspect if one was ever identified. A small piece of skin was located in one of Natalie's wounds, which seemed foreign. The pathologist believed the killer may have cut himself in the attack. About ten small dark hairs that did not belong to Natalie were found in her hand. She had ripped some of the killer's hair out.

Two leather straps with blood on them were also found at the scene. While police were waiting for test results to come back, they linked the postal workers' report about the suspicious mail to the attack on Natalie Russell. So, who was the man in the Toyota Corona? When police had responded to the postal workers' call, there was nobody in the car and the car had no number plates. However, there was a registration sticker affixed to the windscreen and the police who attended had recorded those registration details. Detectives ran a check and found the vehicle belonged to a man who they'd run into before. He'd recently been spotted sitting in his car alone at night in.

a nearby car park, prompting police to approach and speak to him. His name was Paul Charles Danya. Paul Danya was born on April 14, 1972, making him 21 years old. He was a middle child with four brothers and one sister. Paul was average looking and overweight with a baby face, clean cut and quietly spoken. His parents were Anthony and Maureen Dena, who moved to Australia from the United Kingdom in 1965. They'd lived in Sydney and Adelaide before settling in Melbourne. Paul didn't mix well with the other kids at school. He struggled academically, had low self-esteem, and other students tended to stay away from him, leaving him isolated. From a young age, he showed a complete lack of emotion about pretty much everything.

At the age of 11, Paul cut the throat of his sister's teddy bear. When confronted about it, he just smirked. Around the same time, his family's pet cat was found hanging in a tree with its throat slashed. Paul blamed the neighbours, but his older brother noticed the blood on Paul's pocket knife. At 13, he was arrested for stealing a car. He ended up getting a caution for that because he was a juvenile. At 15, he was charged with assault on a fellow student. Paul was also caught staring through the window at one of his brother's girlfriends while she was undressing.

He had an interest in knives and he liked going on long walks by himself in the middle of the night. Paul worked a number of menial jobs but was fired from all of them, either for dishonesty, or for being lazy. He met his girlfriend Sharon while working at a grocery store, one of seven jobs he was sacked from. Sharon was described by some as being somewhat controlling, demanding to know where Paul was at all times. She was often opinionated and could at times be rude and outspoken,

whereas Paul was generally more reserved and softly spoken. He had very few friends, mainly associating with just his family and Sharon. Earlier in 1993, before fear had gripped Frankston, Paul applied to join the police force, but failed the physical due to being overweight. He knew the Frankston area well, having lived there most of his life. He'd spent much of his teenage years smoking cannabis with his brothers at Lloyd Park, where Elizabeth Stevens was found, and along Taylor's Road, where Debbie Frem was found. Detectives paid a visit to Paul's Frankston North Unit on the afternoon of Saturday, July 31, the day after Natalie Russell was killed.

They found Denya at home with his girlfriend Sharon. The couple invited the detectives into their small, messy and barely furnished home. The detectives asked Denia all of the usual background questions. Then they got down to business, asking him where he had been and what he had done the day before. Denya explained that he'd woken up at about 7.30 a.m. He drove Sharon to work, then went to an ATM in Seaford to withdraw $40. Next, he drove around to visit a few car wreckers in search of a spare wheel for his old

Toyota Corona. After finding one, Denya returned home, worked on his car for a bit, then went to a different car wrecker to look for a new speedo cable. While he was out, he visited his mother, but she wasn't home, so he had a coffee with her boyfriend instead. During the journey home, Dena's car overheated and he had to pull over. He topped the vehicle's water up, then went for a quick walk while waiting for the radiator to cool down. Returning to the car, he successfully started it up, only for it to overheat again a short distance later. Denya pulled over on Sky Road, checked under the bonnet and noticed a hose had come loose.

He needed a screwdriver so he closed the bonnet and walked home to get one, also filling his water bottles up so he could top up the radiator again. That was his explanation for being on Sky Road. Detectives asked why he didn't go to a nearby house to ask for water and a screwdriver. Denya replied, I don't like going into other people's houses. When queried why he didn't go to the nearby golf course instead, Dania replied, I didn't think of that.

Dania had a number of scratches on his fingers, including some deeper cuts on his middle finger and thumb. He explained these away as being caused by the work he'd been doing on his car. When detectives asked what he'd been doing three weeks earlier on the night. Debbie Frim went missing, Dena surprised them by specifically recalling that it was a Thursday night. They were even more surprised when he said he'd been at Kennanook Railway Station, just around the corner from where Debbie had gone missing. Dena had just placed himself at the scene of two murders.

Case file will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors. Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you support Case File to continue to deliver quality content. Instead of wondering why they were asking him all these questions, Dena sat back casually and answered everything, almost as if he was enjoying the experience. He was calm and relaxed, barely batting an eyelid.

He agreed to participate in a more formal interview. Denya was taken to Frankston Police Station, where he was interviewed by Sergeant Rod Wilson and Senior Constable Mark Wolf from the Homicide Squad. The interview commenced at 9.20pm on Saturday, July 31. It was recorded on video. The detectives advised Denya that he didn't have to say anything, and that he also had the right to speak to a lawyer. Denya said he didn't want to exercise either right.

and he was happy to talk. They went back over the story he told at his unit in painstaking detail. There were contradictions and times weren't matching up. The explanation he gave for his injuries didn't make much sense either. We're continuing, I must inform you that you're not obliged to say or do anything but anything to say or do maybe given in evidence. Do you understand that? Yeah.

What is your age and date of birth? I'm 21 years old. born on the 14th of April, 972. Okay. Are you an Australian citizen? Yeah. Are you currently employed? No, I'm only employed at the present time.

All we'd like to do, Paul, is if you could just run through, starting with yesterday morning... I got up in the morning about 20 to 8, 7.30, 20 to 8. Right. As I was coming down, say, past Carringwell Drive, noticed temperature gates. temperature gauge started to go right up to high. So I just pulled over the InSky Road. Right across the road is golf course and everything. So I pulled up there and I checked under the car under the bottom,

found out the hose could come loose. When we saw you down at your flat this afternoon, I noticed a number of cuts on your fingers. Can you just put your hands flat on the desk here so that it just right up here. This injury here is a long sort of a cut. Just explain how you got that injury and when you got that injury. I got it yesterday when I was working on the car.

How are you saying it occurred? Well, the fan spins this way. So if I'm standing in the front of the car, like here, fan spins that way. The alternator sits there. And there's some wires raining down underneath the bottom of the radiator. There's a wire at the top, which was for a white that I just recently put on. And it must have been when I was put my hand down there, I caught the fans.

What did you have it running at that stage when you were checking the radio? Home to the worker. On the car. Denya's story wasn't holding up under scrutiny. Detectives asked him more questions about Debbie Freem. Denia stuck with his story, placing himself at Kananoke train station at roughly the same time and just around the corner from where Debbie went missing. Not only that, it had been the one night Paul didn't pick up his girlfriend Sharon from work,

something he usually did without fail. Amazingly, Denya told detectives that he was out walking in the heavy rain on the night Elizabeth Stevens was murdered. He walked from his place to his mum's place, then to Sharon's mom's place, supposedly looking for a spare car battery. The area he said he was walking, Lang Warren right near Lloyd Park. Instead of giving himself an alibi, Dania was repeatedly placing himself at the scene of each murder. Yesterday, your car was parked opposite the location

where the body of Natalie Russell was found. On the night that Debbie Freed disappeared, you walked over to Kennedal Railway Station, missed the train and walked back. and on the night Elizabeth Stevens disappeared, you walked in a very close proximity to Lloyd Park on your way to pick up this battery. Do you think that's fairly coincidental?

Yeah, it is. In all the circumstances, are you responsible for the deaths of any of these women? No. When detectives asked specifically about Natalie Russell's murder, Daniel denied any involvement, but he said he was aware of what happened because he'd driven past the scene.

Are you aware that the girl was found murdered in Frankston? Yeah. Today being Saturday. Yeah. When did you first become aware of that? Well, I saw some police cars and everything when I was driving up Sky Road this morning and SES workers. Sorry, you saw SES workers and all that in Sky Road.

Yeah. And I had some white tape across the walkway. I saw you. You saw you. You saw me? Yeah, I saw you. And I saw the other guy. And that was, what were you doing when you saw that?

Where were you going or what were you doing? Oh, we were going to the wreckers. He was then asked if he knew anything about the victims or how they died. Danya replied, Elizabeth Stevens had her throat cut and the other girl, Debbie Freem, had multiple stab wounds or something to her body and upper body, up here. Denya pointed to the exact spot where Debbie's wounds were. Detective Wilson pounced.

Why did you indicate the exact area? Denya. I was just pointing, that's all. But why did you point there? It was just a lucky guess. When detectives asked if he would provide his fingerprints and samples of his blood and hair, Denia agreed. but he started to look very uncomfortable.

The detectives paused the interview for a coffee break and to wait for an officer to come and collect the samples. Well, I've just had to spend the interview for a short time. Did you have anything else you want? Like a cup of coffee or a glass of a week? Yeah, I'd like another cup of coffee. Did you have a coffee? I'll work for two.

All right, did you cup of coffee, wrong? Just see him a short break. During the break, Denia went to the toilet. The officer who was screaming. recorded him there was Detective Darren O'Loughlin, who hadn't participated in the interrogation. Denya noticed that the detective was wearing a cross and began asking him about religion. The conversation then moved to DNA. Denya wanted to know why they wanted his blood and hair, wondering if they'd found something at

the scene, and if so, how long would it take to match? Detective O'Loclin said that he couldn't answer those questions. He would have to ask Detective Wilson. Denia was silent for a short period of time, before looking at O'Lockland and saying, Okay, I killed all three of them. O'Lockland immediately alerted Detective Wilson and the interview recommenced. This time, O'Lockland joined in, as Paul seemed to have taken a liking to him. Some of the audio you're about to hear has been taken from the interview,

and some of it was taken from a walkthrough of the crime scenes completed after the interview. First, they talked about the murder of Elizabeth Stevens. Can you tell me why you attacked her on that night? Just had the feeling that's all. What sort of feeling can you? Possibly the question. drive where you had this feeling. Just wanted, just wanted to kill.

Danyar also admitted to the attack on Rosa Toth. The detectives asked him, what did you plan to do with Rosa? Denia replied, I was just going to drag her in the park and kill her. That's all. He went on to say that after Rosa ran away, he caught the train one stop

from Seaford to Kananook. Not long after getting off the train, he saw Debbie Freem exiting her car at the shop. What caused you to select her, is it at that time? Just that go feeling. Dania then described killing Debbie before detailing what happened after. I dragged her about a metre into the trees

and where she was lying against the fence. And I broke off two branches off the nearest tree through all over the boat. And I hop back in the car again. I adjusted the seat to match my height. She was like smaller than me. And headed back in Madden Street. Why was it a Madden Street? Wasn't too close, wasn't too far from home.

He buried Debbie Fram's purse along the bike track where he later attacked Natalie Russell. Dania later dug up the purse for police when they did a walkthrough of the crime scenes. When asked why he killed Debbie Fram, his reply was, I just wanted to. Dania then detailed the murder of Natalie Russell. What did you want to kill for? Same reason as before. No, I've always wanted to kill.

Since when? Since I was about 14. I've been stalking women for a few years in Frankston. Just waiting for that. opportunity, waiting for the sign. After the murder, Dania walked back down the track towards his car and saw the police there checking it out. He casually continued out of the track and headed down Sky Road away from the police. As you can hear from the interviews, Dania displayed zero emotion and zero

remorse. That never changed and he never said he was sorry. Danya just repeated that he had always wanted to kill and was waiting for the right opportunity. While the interview was taking place, other police officers were searching Dena's unit. They found a hat with blood on it, a large homemade knife and a long cord with two knots tied at each end. The cord looked as though it had had hair on it. In his car, they found the fake gun he had made as well as another large knife. and a pair of pliers. They were later able to confirm that the pliers had been used to cut the holes in the bike

track fence. Each pair of pliers leaves a distinctive mark, much like a fingerprint. Remember back at the start of this episode, a woman named Donna Vaines had her home vandalise and her cats killed. A death rat was also written in blood across her wall. Donna then learnt that her sister Trisha's neighbour had experienced a similarly terrifying break-in. Every photo in her house that featured her had been slashed across the throat. The two women were comforted by a male neighbour of Trish's who called the person responsible a sicko

and promised to look out for them. Well, that neighbour was Paul Dena. He lived next door to Trisha Faines and had visited. admitted to both of the break-ins. Denya had met Donna through Trisha and found out that she was home alone most nights. Denya openly confessed that he had gone to Donna's flat with the intention of murdering her. But when she wasn't there, he killed her cats instead. He said he had done so because he hated Donna and Trisha.

Dania never explained why he hated them. They weren't the only women Dania hated. When one of the detectives asked Dania why all of his victims were female, Dania replied, I just hate them. Is that particular girls, or is that women in general, the detective asked. General, said Dania. Donna had been left so terrified by her break-in that she moved out of her unit and in with her sister, Trisha. not realizing she had moved next door to the person responsible.

When Daniel was arrested, Trisha told reporters, He was the nicest and most considerate person I ever met. I could not believe it when I heard the news. I still find it difficult to accept. He was cool, calm and collected. He seemed quiet and subdued and often kept to himself. Another of Paul's neighbours agreed, I just can't believe that the charges have been laid against him.

He seemed the nicest of people. Paul Denia was charged with the murders of Elizabeth Stevens, Debbie Freem and Natalie Russell, as well as the abduction of Rosa Toth. He pleaded guilty and never attempted to fight the charges. While awaiting sentencing, he was visited by many doctors and doctors. psychologists who were looking for answers. What they found was that Paul Danya was a rare breed of serial killer who murdered his victims at random without motive, simply because he had always wanted to. He had always wanted to kill and claimed he could no longer suppress the urge.

Dena was able to describe his crimes without a flicker of emotion. Experts found him to be extremely emotionally disturbed, but not legally insane. He was diagnosed as having a sadistic personality disorder, demonstrated by a steady pattern of cruel, demeaning and aggressive behavior since early adulthood. He appeared amused by the psychological and physical suffering he inflicted on his victims. Denya mentioned that his favorite movie was a 1987 horror film called The Stepfather which had given him the idea to slash his victim's throats. He thought it seemed defective.

Denya claimed that one of his brothers had sexually abused him when he was younger, but this was strongly denied by his family. Paul Denia was sentenced in Melbourne's Supreme Court on Monday, December 20, 1993. He was given three life sentences with no parole period. The judge described to the judge. Denya as a danger to society, for which nothing could be done. Denya showed no remorse, and his only regret appeared to be the fact he was arrested. Eleven days later, Paul Denya lodged an appeal against his sentence on the grounds that it was

excessive. He argued that the sentencing judge should have given him a minimum term of imprisonment. The appeal was heard in the Supreme Court in July, 1994. Three judges came to a majority verdict of two to one, overruling the trial judge's decision not to issue a minimum term. They granted Paul Denya a non-parole period of 30 years, meaning he could have been released in 2023 when he was 51 years old. When given this minimum term, Denya said, I will become a better person and I will not be a better person and I will not.

re-offend. That's my promise to God, as well as to the people of Melbourne. While in prison, Denya began saying that he now identified as a woman and began going by the name Paula instead of Paul. He claimed that his gender dysphoria had led him to hate women and ultimately resulted in him committing crimes against them. He applied to have access to makeup and other beauty products as well as hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery. All of those requests were denied. Prison authorities, victims' families and transgender advocates have all expressed doubts about the sincerity of Denya's claims. One prison officer said Denia's supposed transition was sudden and merely a ruse to gain access to certain benefits. By 2022,

Dania had reverted back to using the name Paul and identifying as male. In 2023, seven years after this episode was originally released, crime author Vicky Petratus released an 11-part podcast series titled The Frankston Murders with Case File Presents. The series uncovered new material about the infamous case and featured interviews with other women who were stalked by Paul Dania, as well as a victim's family members, prison guards, and detective. who worked on the case. That same year, Paul Danyar became eligible for parole. He submitted an application to the Adult Parole Board of Victoria, which was rejected.

When Natalie Russell's father, Brian, received the news, he felt a sense of relief, telling the ABC it was a terrific outcome as far as I'm concerned. Debbie Frim's son, Jake, who was just 12 days old when his mother was. murdered, told the age newspaper that Dania was not someone who should ever be released. Quote, he has done nothing to deserve it. He will never change, and they must keep him inside. Despite his initial parole application being rejected, Dania remained eligible to apply again and again. Each time, the victim's families would be forced to prepare submissions, relive the trauma, and faced the possibility that he could one day be released.

In direct response, the Victorian government passed new laws in late 2023, allowing the parole board to impose a no-return date for certain life-sentence prisoners, including Danya. The laws were developed in consultation with the family of Natalie Russell, Danya's final victim, and were dubbed Natt's Law. It's like having a tremendous. tremendous weight lifted off us, Brian Russell told the ABC. We're tickled pink knowing that Dena will never be allowed to apply for parole again and there's no hope of him ever getting

out of jail. It's something we've been working towards for the last 30 years. When this started, Denia was knocked back on parole, but six months down the track, he could have applied again, and we'd have to go through it all once more. Now, that will never happen, and it won't happen in other cases either. The loss of Natalie is something we live with every day. We don't need the added pressure of knowing her murderer could be free at any time.