Carriage of secrets | 11

M hm.

Hm.

And you're behind him.

Yeah, I'm right behind it, turning left onto my road, which is still heading in your direction.

You're hitting a lot when he gets there, aren't you.

Yep.

So we're just going past the shops in Karate.

Road.

As soon as we get eyes on him. As soon as he pulls in, I'm going to duck down.

Do you want me to buck down?

Okay?

Son right into Brook Road.

We just don't know if anyone's looking at that.

We just passed Brook Avenue Public.

School and.

Have you still got eyes on his car?

Yeah, I'm right behind.

Him roughiet eight couple of minutes.

Okay, he's just jumped the red light to turn left.

I'm not going to do it.

He's just pulled into my head. He's just pulled into Bavillage Road.

So you should see him very soon.

Okay.

Can someone check the revision just in case he's coming which way? This way, he's coming that way? Okay?

Cool?

Yeah.

I'm sitting in event with a cameraman, a photographer, and a security guard. We're waiting for Kevin Stephen Carrell to emerge from his four wheel drive.

He's looking around for some reason. He's looking for a park, so he's looking straight at us. Stay down, he's sus on us. He's three cars up on this on this side.

It's a Friday night and Kevin has just arrived at a leagues club on the New South Wales central coast. He's wearing his black security uniform and he's minutes away from starting his shift as a Responsible Service of Alcohol Marshal. And remember we want to approach him out in the open the moment he gets out of his car, which is parked just a few meters away from ours, facing us, so.

He's going to be looking at us through the wind screen.

It's ten to two.

And he's right there working on my twelve o'clock where I'm looking.

Can you see his driver's door happen to see the window screen? Kevin lights up a cigarette.

I should be able to see the car move on the door open, but I got behind on the back as well, just in case. It just appears there's still smoke coming out this window. All right, his doors happened. Stand by, stand by, stand by.

He dropped me out first. Yeap, Just wait comes down.

Staying to stake Throe Defender down with them.

We head straight towards Kevin. As he makes his way through the car park towards the club's entrance, I can see his face change as he realizes what's about to happen. Kevin Farrell. I'm actually Hanson. I'm a journalist from News Corp. I'm investigating the murder of Rochelle Charles. Did you kill Rochelle Charles? He turns around quickly and heads back to his pajero. Did you lure Rochelle to her death? With

Get out of lake, Get out of the way.

Watch out, Dan.

I'm Ashley Hanson and you're listening to episode eleven of Dear Rochelle, a podcast by True Crime Australia. This is the untold story of Rochelle Childs, a twenty three year old who was brutally murdered. Her killer has never been caught. You just heard our approach to Kevin Correll. This day was the culmination of fourteen months of rigorous journalism, planning, surveillance and careful consideration, Kevin drove off in a fury.

No, he got fired because of this.

Do you know why.

The justification for firing him was, Yes, the reporters were going and talking to staff members and they all felt like that they were being hassled.

So the club had said that they're just going to go in a different direction and just wait for six weeks to see if it quins down. So I think he's suspended, not fine. So suspended.

And how did Kevin take that news that he was being suspended.

Well, he wasn't happy. He loved his jong, He loved his job and they loved him.

Do you think Kevin might be interested in talking with me and doing an interview.

He has a hatred for all this, other than the fact he wants the truth to come out. He has bought the paper, especially when he's plastered on the front. Keep in mind, I mean when the case had come was first on. Obviously he lost his work, he lost his home, he lost a lot of things. But he's always said it's nothing compared to what Rachelle's family has lost, and he just feels that it's going down the same road again. So mentally is not doing too well. I

I just want to pause Marian's interview for a few moments to make sure you're up to speed with some fresh police developments. So what Marion tells me next makes sense. Since Rochelle's case was reopened, police seized and forensically tested the petrol cap from her car for fingerprints. They tested the fueld cap. I believe it was only for fingerprints and they didn't glean anything from that, but the family is anxiously waiting to be shown by police. Two segments

The last time I spoke to Kevin a few days ago, he was happy that they have found footage of a car. I think is it Rachelle's car? I'm not sure, but he's happy about that. He was over the moon. Over the moon a man, A guilty person would shick themselves, wouldn't they. They said, I'll be proved that I'm innocent.

If it's unrelated and it's somebody else, say it's another woman at the petrol station with another man, then that's not going to prove Kevin's innocence.

Why not if it's a different man, a different woman, and it's not Kevin.

Well, if it's a different woman and it's a different man, then it means it's completely unrelated to Rochelle's case. In Rochelle's car, well, it might they might realize that the car is unrelated as well.

Oh okay, Well, I guess he wasn't thinking on those terms. Neither was I. I just assumed that.

It was her car, and we don't know if it was her car. That's why believe it's taking a closer look at it. Oh okay, does that change things for you?

Well, that's a bit sad because I think both he and I are thinking, you know.

It's Russia.

It is Rochelle's car that they've got footage of, and they're going to see who's in that car. Okay, Ah, that makes a big difference, doesn't it.

When was the last time you saw Kevin in person?

Yes, we went to Thailand this time last year, and probably a couple of times after that. When it came down to visit the times.

I don't know were you in a relationship with Kevin when you went to Thailand.

No, we're just friends when there's nothing physical between us. There's nothing sexual, nothing physical. We're just friends, good friends and not with benefits.

When did you meet Kevin Correll?

End of two thousand and nine Boxing Day. My first impressions of Kevin. I liked him. He was funny. He had a great group of people around him that I enjoyed all of their company. That was the first time I met him, and then I only en't met up with him at men on a Friday night, and I got to know him a little bit better. And then things went further as far as starting to see each other on dates and stuff.

And did you get into a relationship with Kevin and how long did that last for?

We were dating for a year, then we lived together for two years. Then he had issues with his daughter and he just felt that he should have his own space. Look, I had issues with his daughter. I loved a bit, but there are a lot of selfish things happening, which angered me a little bit. So Kevin wanted to keep seeing his grandchildren freely, so then we stayed together but didn't live together. He's supportive, his gentle He will do anything for you without even asking he'll just go through

I just I don't know.

I just I cannot see anything bad. I just can't. And I don't think you can keep up a facadel like that for as long as since two thousand and nine. But let me tell you, when I first met Kevin, he was never, ever, once inappropriate, forceful, touchy feely. Now how does a person like that refrain? I don't know, I don't know.

Multiple people have described to me that Kevin has a split personality. There's a good Kevin and there's a bad Kevin.

Yeah, me too, I'm like that pissed me off. I'm not a nice person. Oh look, I've seen the angry side of him. And when I say angry, let's say it's it's an argument between he and I. He will raise his voice, but then he'll turn around and walk away, which is frustrating to me. I'd like to nut it out, but no, never in my face, ever, ever? Ever?

Are you aware that he was charged over four attacks on women in the nineteen eighties.

I have heard of it again. When I first met Kevin, I had hell to pay from several women at mingles. I've had threats from them. They said they would not that they want to be going out, but they had gone out with him, and it's not right that he didn't call them again. And there was a lot of jealousy there. There are a couple of women that said I was jealous of them, but I didn't know them from Adam, and I said to them, I don't know you. Why would I be jealous because we dated and I thought, well,

So why did Kevin change his name? According to him, what was the reasoning for that.

To disassociate with what's happening? What was happening with his brother?

What does he say about these allegations that women had accused him of very serious offenses, including rape.

We all know that people call sexual assault quite easily not I haven't asked any of those questions.

I'll just tell you in all of these cases, these women didn't know Kevin. In two of the cases, he offered to drive them home, and while these women were in his car, he allegedly attacked them, actually raped them. That is the allegation that he raped those young women in the car who were dropped home by him. He was acquitted at those charges.

Why why was he acquitted?

He stood trial and it was back in the nineteen eighties. Yeah, and the jury didn't believe there was enough evidence to convict him. But I do know that a police officer who arrested him in one of those cases, when he arrested him, his pants fell down and the woman was screaming for help running from his car. I have not for help. Yeah, that's not good. Another woman claims that in punch Bowl in nineteen eighty that Kevin responded to an ad in the paper for a room to rent.

Yeah, but I cannot see that one. As soon as you mention knife, no way and children n he loves kids. There is no way if he knew there were kids in there, she will never attempted anything like that. I think that's bullshit.

Well, what did Kevin and tell you about who killed Rochelle?

Oh, he hasn't said he doesn't know who killed her. He hasn't said, he hasn't said anything like that.

Has Kevin ever told you that her fingers were missing or detached?

No, we discussed it when I was reading the transcript.

You've read the transcripts from Rochelle's inquest.

Yeah, like I said, I did ask him questions. But what those questions were right now, I can't remember until I probably read it again and then something might gel.

Does Kevin like fire? No, he's really bad.

With it too. I mean he had a platty at his place and he went near the fire and he wanted to stoke it or put something on it to get the fire going a little bit better, and all blew back on him and Bertie's arm. So no, he has version to follow up.

And what about Kevin's like for movies? What sort of movies does he like? And TV shows?

Well, that's something we have in common, and I love watching crime shows. Like, who done it not? Try and solve them? And Kevin enjoyed them with me and he likes the same as what I like.

So it's.

I love them. I love them.

And what about your children and your friends? What do they think about Kevin?

They love him, they love him. Look, even at the time of my brother's death death, which was twenty nineteen, I had a niece post something on Facebook how grateful she was that he was in my life and the support that he had given me and the entire family. I'm just getting emotional because I'm thinking of my brother. But he was nothing but supportive for everyone, and they were so glad and I are still glad that he's in my life.

Well, he's lucky to have you.

Yeah, But what's that say of me? If I'm wrong? I don't know. Maybe my bubble will be First.

We've reached out to the Lees Club to clarify Kevin's employment status. We were told he's employed by a private security company and has not received any further shifts from the club since our podcast investigation was brought to their attention. Kevin's career change as an RSA marshal has shocked many people.

Well, why has he changed his profession into doing that rather of work. It seems from one to the end of extreme sort of employment opportunities. But that does consume me as well of his prior arrests, perhaps some without conviction, but I was similar sexual nature. He's disturbing.

And here's Jane, who you heard from in episode six. She accused Kevin of rape in nineteen eighty. Oh my god, I don't know why you would employ this person.

Ah, that's just that's wrong, so wrong.

Here's Kevin's ex wife Elisa's reaction.

He's taking young girls out to the car. Oh my god. Okay, he should not have been in that job. And I could see why I probably took that job on because that would have made him feel really good about himself.

I have watched him in the job, and he does love controlling a room.

Oh yes, if you'd ever seen him be in a DJ when he was younger, Yeah, he totally had control of the room.

Yeah.

He's a performer through and through. Yeah, he didn't just spin the records. He dance and he'd mime and like put on a show. He'd put on a full show. I've never seen a DJ do that before. He'd have girls hanging around him all the time. Girls flocked over it like around him and wanted to be around him.

Since Dear Rochelle went live, we've received many emails from people sharing tips and information about Rochelle's case. Bear with us. This investigation is moving fast, but we want to bring you as many updates like these as we can.

Ian Watson's my name and in the mid to late nineties I came across a man named Kevin Carrell through the motor trade in Nara.

I'm interested to pick your brain, not just because you knew Kevin through the car game, but also as a former detective. What's memorable about him to.

You at the time that I met him, And, like I said, I didn't have any dealings with him at that point. I did later on when he worked at Camden Hold years later. When I first met him, we ended up about forty people maybe from the car game, in a restaurant called the Boat Shed in Nara, just

Anyway, he was evicted.

They tossed him straight out. He's always wore black, black shirt, black pants, black tie. Almost like your first impression was like he wanted to be like a bad cowboy in a western. There was something about him that was just sleazy. He wasn't a person that you'd want to associate with.

When you refer to the he he grabbed me? Who was this woman referring to to Carell.

They were standing in the back of the room in a group of people and he put his hand up address and everyone, the guys that I was with, turning around and said what happened? And she just pointed straight out of him and said, he just put his hand up my dress. I guess it shows a pattern.

A pattern of behavior with Kevin. And what also interests me about Ian's interview is Kevin's connection and geographical knowledge of the South Coast. If you have any tips or information, please email me at de Rochelle atnews dot com dot au. Soon after Rochelle's murder, Kevin was fired from Camden Holden for financial discrepancies and the business was renamed Paul Wakeling Holden.

I remained there for three years. Afterwards, I got a letter sent to me from somebody. Three years later, in two thousand and four, I used to opened the mail.

I was a receptionist and I received a letter in the post that said I was jealous of Rochelle's money and they referred to me as bat Fee in the letter.

I do remember that was in the.

In the letter or addressed on the en flap, I don't know, but it was, yeah, definitely Camden Holden and we were poor Wakeling Holden by then.

So Jim's office was right next to my desk, and he came and I said to him, I've just got a letter.

It was basically accusing her of Rachelle's murder. And it was pretty pretty graphically worded. It was pretty nasty stuff.

It was in an envelope. It got to fi own.

It didn't get opened by me or anyone else price, So it's first to for your own no reason to not open it as she would in the normal La scheme of things. So she's open and she's just yeah, she was devastated.

And he came and straight away just took it straight to the police station.

I know Rachelle didn't have money, mum, and used to bring groceries to the train, like to the carriage for rachel to take home, like she didn't have money. Like that's the one thing that just stuck with me. She didn't have money.

There was nothing to be jealous of of her money or anything like.

That like this.

I don't know where this letter came from. Three years later, but.

What kind of an impact did that letter have on you?

Massive It's just remained with me. I mean, the whole experience is just changed the person I was.

I'm very guarded, I'm very yeah, just a very different person to the person that I was.

I passed it on to the business owner and I think subsequently went to the detectives. I tried to do my own little investigation. I suppose I looked at things like the handwriting. I looked at things like sentence, structural, all that sort of thing, see if it reminded me of anyone.

But I vaguely remember it was done.

In a sort of manner that it couldn't be or wouldn't be related back to a style as such.

Absolutely, I don't know where. I didn't know where it.

Came from, didn't I who sent it, didn't know that whoever sent it still knew that I still worked there at the time.

Yeah, just fear that's never left.

Can you picture the letter today.

I've blocked that out. But I didn't want to touch it. I didn't want I wanted it to be fingerprinted. I wanted like and I guess back then snail mail, every man and their dog had handled a letter. So my manager at the time, Jim, he just took it straight up to the police station that same day, and I resigned two weeks later.

And why did you resign?

Fear?

Just fear still to the day, don't know who did this or who's out.

There or.

Yeah, looking back now, what do you think the motivation was? Of the person who wrote that letter.

Just scare me, just fear scare tactics, I guess, and it worked.

Who would want to do that to anyone, let alone to one of Rochelle's good friends. Fee was still struggling with Rochelle's sudden loss. Who knew Fiona opened the mail and who would think that business was still trading as Camden Holder. Remember, she was a key witness in the case. Detectives never identified who sent that hateful letter to her. In February two thousand and four, when the letter arrived,

This inquest will investigate the circumstances of the death of Rachelle Childs. As Childs was born on the twenty sixth of May nineteen seventy eight, I anticipate that the evidence to be led at this inquest will support the conclusion that she died on the evening of seven June two thousand and one. I anticipate that the evidence will support the conclusion that she was murdered.

Next, we're going to present part of a young woman's testimony who applied for a job at Camden Holden about six months before Rochelle's murder. She met Rochelle briefly, but it was her experience with the used car manager, Kevin Carell the court was interested in. On the fourth of December two thousand and six, she took the stand and her identity was protected. She told the court her interaction with Kevin left her so fearful she moved house afterwards.

He was looking at my chest. He just kept staring at me a lot. He looked at my hair a lot. He commented on my clothes, he commented on my hair, He commented on that I was good.

Looking a lot.

Yeah, it was really creepy. He said he wanted me to meet Rachelle.

She did meet Rochelle, but not on that occasion. The court heard Kevin spoke fondly of Rochelle that she was a terrific person. She did things out of character that she didn't need to do, like work on her day off. Things like that she had her favorite car there. He always provided her with a car. He always provided her

Yes, well, I felt that the way he said, the way he spoke about her. I think I felt it because of the way he spoke about her. He said, you know, she does things that she doesn't need to do, you know what I mean, you know, that kind of thing with his the way he finished his sentences, the way he looked at me, the way, you know, as if he was asking me, are you going to be like that?

The witness went on to tell the inquest she wasn't working at the time, she was broke and was desperate for a job. A second interview followed on another afternoon. She was invited back into the train carriage.

I was interviewed by Kevin. First, he sat me down, he had a beer. He asked me if I wanted to sit when I got there, I said no. He kept sort of gazing out the window as if he was thinking of what to say to me. He was saying he didn't know how to He wanted to create a management position.

That's right.

He didn't know how to create this without the other staff knowing. He kept saying that everything that we talked about had to stay in the carriage, and I wasn't allowed to pit anything. Anything that happened in the carriage had to stay in the carriage.

She ran Kevin to find out if she got the job. The following day, she says, he asked to meet her at the Marino Hotel in Camden. The witness told the court the pair sat down and Kevin began looking all creepy and propositioned her for sex.

If you're interested in getting involved with me, you don't have to worry about money, he meant. I said, what on a sexual basis are you asking me to have sex with you? And he kind of looked around the pub like to see if anyone was listening.

He said, the off is there if you need it.

I said, I need a job.

What about a job?

I'm not going to make up my mind about that until you make up your mind about whether or not I've got a job. He said, I'm going to go and see my girl at Norellan, who I see once a week. I'll give you one hundred and fifty dollars instead of her if you want to suck my dick instead of her. He said, you'll have to let me know in the next couple because I'm going to.

See her this afternoon.

I thought I knew right then and there that I was not going to take the dog. But then I said to him, my answer is I don't know I've have I got a job or not.

The court heard she told Kevin she wasn't that desperate for money, but she was desperate for a job. He then told her to come in for a trial the following day, and she did.

Kevin came walking up the yard.

He gave me the filthiest look. That's right.

He shoved past me, physically shoved past me. And I said good morning, and he said nothing. I felt a fight, that's right. We started fighting. I stood in the yard at this time. I went into the yard, and when Kevin went back into the carriage, I followed him, and I said, what's wrong with you? And he threw something and said, what do you mean, what's wrong? I said, your attitude.

You're completely ignoring me. What's going on?

He raised his voice and he said, I didn't even want you to start today. I said, what, You only just finished telling me that you wanted me to start this trial today and tomorrow starting at eight thirty. And here I am, I've got.

Here, and I was in amazement.

He was yelling.

He was still yelling, saying I had all these forms they wanted you to fill in. I said, what forms? Where are these forms?

Give them to me.

I'll fill them in now. He said, I haven't got them prepared. There was a tax form there.

I said, give me the form.

I've got a tax phone number in my head. I'll fill it in now.

It'll take me five seconds.

He said, oh, don't worry about it now, and he started waving his arms around. And there was at least two other staff I could see in the yard that were aware of this argument that we were having. It was beyond belief argument. It was schizophrenic. It was I've never seen a man treated woman like that.

Ever, the witness was asked if anything else happened.

I said to him, that's it. I grabbed my handbag and I yelled, I said, I yelled back. I just let him have it. I said, you've done nothing but stuff me around for the last two weeks.

There you go.

I put up with the timing. I put up with the timing you've used, meeting you in stupid places.

This is what I said to him.

The only reason I put up with it is because I thought you were going to give me a job. Don't yell at me. And I was pointing at him and yelling, and I was yelling this out. I said, don't you remember asking me to come in here today? Do you have too many beers at the interview last night? You should have placed an added the personal's column, not

Sorry, the woman told the inquest. She left in tears. The court heard Kevin later phoned her parents' home, but she'd moved out pretty quickly after the incident.

I felt scared, I felt threatened, I felt fear for my life. I felt that if I was ever in the house that he had my address, he might just want revenge because I had to go back at him. And yeah, I felt scared for my life, so I moved bash kill.

Yeah, yep. It was then put to the witness that someone had claimed she'd told Kevin she had a gun in her car.

No, just my son's order pistol.

Peter Singleton then asked her, did you tell Kevin that you were going to shoot him? No, The witness says she reached out to Narrow police with her story immediately after hearing about Rochelle's murder. Let's hear Peter Singleton's take on this woman's evidence.

Well, in my experience, it's very unusual to go to a job interview and end up in fear of your life. In the context of this case, what it is is a part of painting a picture of one of the people of interest, as I said before, a part of it of a thorough investigation tries to understand the victim and tries to understand the various people who might have come across her path in order to work out who

It is likely.

That the crime with which he or she is charged, which was committed in that peculiar way, was committed by him. But there has to be a higher level of peculiarity or special features that show that it really is very unlikely.

To be a coincidence.

The fact that a job applicant applicant was creeped out to the point of extreme fearfulness does not line up with any anything specific to what happened to Rochelle. In fact, it could be said that it goes the other way, because Rochelle presumably went for a job interview and wasn't for it to out and took the job. That's where the similarity is, and it isn't similar. The evidence you've pointed out really is evidence that mister Correll might be

So when you painted this picture of Kevin Correll, what did you see?

I recall that I put to him a list of similarities between Rochelle's circumstances and engagement with him, and the details relating to at least one, maybe a couple of women who had been in mister Carrell's life in the past, and they were sufficiently striking in my view to put them to him for comparison and for his comment. In the end, of course, they were not judged enough to prove his guilt of any crime.

How did you react to that line of questioning from you?

My recollection, which is subject to the transcription and should be checked, is that he at that point approximately that point, decline to answer questions on the grounds that it might tend to incriminate him.

Have you ever told any person that you were, or ever had been, a private investigator and.

They have asked mister Johnston or refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it may incriminate me the work.

As a private investigator.

On the advice of mister Johnston I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it may incriminate me.

Have you ever worked as a psychologist or psychiatrist?

On the advice of mister Johnston, I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it may incriminate me. Have you ever falsely made a representation to any person about your employment or the works that you did or had done in the past. On the advice of mister Johnston, I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it may incriminate me.

What was your reason for changing your name to Kevin Corrupt?

On the advice of mister Johnston, I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it.

May incriminate me.

Is there any reason that I should be concerned about my safety investigating this case?

I think you should be a little bit careful. There's a reasonable chance that the person who killed Rochelle Childs with a sexual motive, if that's what he had, would have a similar motive towards you, but also hatred if you actually manage to expose him or bring him into disrepute.

It's a very serious thing to say, and obviously not one that you take lightly. No, but.

What you're doing is potentially very valuable to the public, but potentially very harmful to a dangerous person. And I'm afraid you fit the profile of his potential victim. We do know what Rochelle's profile was, and you're not wholly dissimilar. Of course, there'll be vast differences between any two people, but at a superficial level, this person's obviously dangerous, whoever.

It may be.

You are embarking on it now. The chance for any of us is rather small, but you have heightened the chance for.

Yourself coming soon on de Rochelle. And I remember one of the last things I said to him was I'll find him.

I drew Peter on the side of the lake and say, well, it's your job to draw that crocodile out.

Mill's dad was fed a lot of lies about the homicide squad.

Which would so strange that you would give a young girl like that that sort of vehicle for a weekend.

Well, thank you, Mill, And we're about the sirch we.

Look at someone with psychopathic personality.

You have more strength than you give yourself.

For.

There were quite a few years that I know I protected him.

Dear Rochelle is a multi media production from True Crime Australia. If you want to be one of the first to find out what happens next, go to Deroshelle dot com dot a you. That's where eligible Digital News Corp Australia subscribers get early access to podcast episodes and breaking news in our live investigation and you will also find exclusive videos, interactive evidence, feature articles and more. That's Deroshelle dot com