Murder and the Hellcats

About Murder and the Hellcats

The Queensland Cat Protection Society president was gruesomely murdered in 1998 and everyone assumed it was her arch enemy in the society. No one thought it was a random attack. MURDER AND THE HELLCATS investigates this bizarre true crime, full of characters too strange to be true, and a justice system quick to convict on DNA evidence alone. When the victim, middle-aged veterinarian Kathleen Marshall, wasn’t helping animals she was defending Brisbane’s heritage architecture, the arts, green spaces or any other worthy cause she turned her attention to. She was the kind of neighbour if you lopped a tree, she‘d likely abuse you and then report you to council. With a sense of superiority and do-goodery, she was known in the neighbourhood as “an absolute bitch”. It wasn’t surprising when she joined the Cat Protection Society that she immediately muscled her way to the top job. But even before her ascendency, the Cat Society was not a cozy club of matronly women bottle-feeding orphaned kitties. With large bequests at stake, it had long been a hotbed of infighting with a history of coups, dodgy accounting, an ASIC investigation, an animal cruelty prosecution, a private detective hired to spy on members, and a prior unsolved murder linked to the group. Kathleen complained of being stalked and, weeks before her murder, was involved in a physical altercation with another member of the Cat Society — Kathleen’s nemesis and the original person of interest in the case. Everyone was surprised when Andrew Fitzherbert was arrested for her murder. This slightly built, quiet, middle-aged man who restored books and read palms for a living, was a pacifist and conscientious objector in the Vietnam War. There was no eyewitness, no murder weapon found, no motive established. Yet with just five drops of blood at the scene that matched Andrew’s, the fledgling forensic science of DNA led to his conviction and life sentence. This was the first case in Australian history where DNA evidence alone led to a conviction.

Publisher

Catherine McHugh

Category

true crime

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

4 Dec 2025

Latest episode

5 Feb 2026

Latest episodes

10 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   5 Feb 2026

   Ep.10 The Whistleblower

   Send us Fan Mail A confluence of cases with questionable DNA at the JTC, around the time of Andrew's case, raises the prospect of more significant issues at the lab. This is confirmed when I track down a whistleblower. This former JTC senior scientist outlines all the problems that led him to declare the lab practised "quasi science". If you have any information on the Kathleen Marshall murder please contact me at: somethingtheysaid@gmail.com Support the show

2. 

   29 Jan 2026

   Ep.9 Badly Degraded

   Send us Fan Mail The case of Lindy Chamberlain and Andrew Fitzherbert are linked by the retired DNA expert Barry Boettcher and Barry also happens to have a connection to the host's husband! The Lindy Chamberlain case reveals more erroneous forensics. A discussion with Professor Boettcher reveals a very limited scenario for Andrew's blood to be present at the murder scene and rules out it being shed contemporaneously to the murder. Support the show

3. 

   22 Jan 2026

   Ep.8 Errant Garbage

   Send us Fan Mail After studying the Kathleen Marshall murder my attitude to offering a sample for DNA testing in a criminal case has changed. The DNA discovery in Andrew's case stopped police from pursuing other avenues of investigation. There were multiple issues with Andrew's DNA from collection, storage, analysis, results and statistical reporting . Mixed blood samples are problematic and can easily implicate suspects wrongly. A previous case of Ken Cox's comes into question. Support...

4. 

   15 Jan 2026

   Ep.7 Nondescript in Every Way

   Send us Fan Mail What were Andrew's whereabouts on Thursday, the day police thought Kathleen was killed and Friday, the day she was more likely killed? Photoboards are not regarded as reliable identification in a murder case and Andrew's smiling face likely stood out. Police recorded detailed statements about the man Pauline and Victor saw after Andrew was identified by Pauline. And why was Andrew calling Kathleen's house before the murder? Support the show

5. 

   8 Jan 2026

   Ep.6 Who is John Wilson?

   Send us Fan Mail Who did Victor and Pauline Licciardi see at Kathleen's house the day police thought she was killed? Their evidence, along with a refusal provide a DNA sample, sent police on the hunt to prove Andrew was the killer. Support the show

6. 

   1 Jan 2026

   Ep.5 Cat Fight

   Send us Fan Mail Kathleen shared her fears of being stalked. A cat fight breaks out at Kathleen's house. The congregation of cat ladies outside Katheen's house, the day her body was found, tell police the murderer has just driven past. And that woman becomes the first person of interest in Operation Leaf. But DNA testing changes the course of the investigation. Support the show

7. 

   25 Dec 2025

   Ep.4 The Watch

   Send us Fan Mail Another crime committed close by, muddies the water. Crime scene diagrams created by the police forensic officer contain an item that could be crucial to the case - a detail that seems to have been missed till now. A walk through Eildon Hill Reserve reveals the perfect path for a killer to pass unnoticed in the suburb. Introducing person of interest: Helen. Support the show

8. 

   18 Dec 2025

   Ep.3 Death March

   Send us Fan Mail Kathleen's house looks like it's been ransacked and police question the placement of a particular piece of sheet music on her grand piano. Time of death doesn't match a number of eye witnesses who saw Kathleen alive when she was supposed to be dead. How reliable was the entomologist's estimate and what was the most likely time Kathleen was killed? Support the show

9. 

   11 Dec 2025

   Ep.2 It was Personal

   Send us Fan Mail Kathleen's doctor proposes a cat attack theory. A summary of the wounds reveals shallow stabs directed at the head and face - was it personal? Issues with the crime scene and an inference of stalking. Support the show

10. 

    4 Dec 2025

    Ep.1 Stabbed and Left to Die

    Send us Fan Mail The queen of the cat ladies is dead, stabbed 52 times and left to die. Her fellow cat ladies discover the body. Who was the victim, and why was she so unpopular in her neighbourhood? Support the show