Unknown Gender History: Hazel Dulcie Bodsworth, Serial Killer

BOOK ON THE CASE

Hazel Baron & Janet Fife-Yeomans, My Mother, a Serial Killer, HarperCollins / Australia Pty Ltd.

March 19, 2018

A gripping and shocking story of a serial killer mother, and the brave daughter who brought her to justice. Dulcie Bodsworth was the unlikeliest serial killer. She was loved everywhere she went, and the townsfolk of Wilcannia, which she called home in the late 1950s, thought of her as kind and caring. The officers at the local police station found Dulcie witty and charming, and looked forward to the scones and cakes she generously baked and delivered for their morning tea.

That was one side of her. Only her daughter Hazel saw the real Dulcie. And what she saw terrified her.

Dulcie was in fact a cold, calculating killer who, by 1958, had put three men in their graves - one of them the father of her four children, Ted Baron - in one of the most infamous periods of the state's history. She would have got away with it all had it not been for Hazel.

Written by award-winning journalist Janet Fife-Yeomans together with Hazel Baron, My Mother, A Serial Killer is both an evocative insight into the harshness of life on the fringes of Australian society in the 1950s, and a chilling story of a murderous mother and the courageous daughter who testified against her and put her in jail.

***

FULL TEXT: Sydney – Mrs. Hazel Dulcie Bodsworth, 51, of Hopetown, Victoria, was committed for trial in Central Court today on a charge of having murdered Milton Samuel Overton.

She appeared today before Mr. F. J. Hale, S.M., on two murder charges.

The Crown alleged she murdered Milton Samuel Overton, 44, at Wilcannian on April 19, 1956, and Thomas Tregenza, 70, at Wilcannia on January 17, 1958.

The hearing on the charge that Mrs. Bodsworth murdered Tregenza was adjourned on Tuesday.

She was charged also on two counts of arson.

She pleaded not guilty to the charge of having murdered Overton and reserved her defence.

Mrs. Bodsworth and her husband, Henry William Bodsworth, 36, were committed for trial on Wednesday, on a charge of having murdered Edwin James Grey Baron, 40, on August 30, 1950.

Baron was drowned in the Murray River near Mildura.

Allan Roy Baron, station hand, of Kangaroo Island, told the court that in 1955 he lived with his family at Metallic station, Wilcannia.

~ 'Shoot Sam' ~

He said that on one particular occasion he, Dr. Potts, of Wilcannia, and Bodsworth were going shooting.

His mother had said to him: "Allan, while you are out shooting could you accidentally shoot Sam on the

other side of the swamp?"

Baron said he replied to his mother: "Don't be silly" and walked out.

After returning, his mother said: "You could have at least done it." Then an argument broke out.

He said that on a number of occasions he had heard his mother say to Bodsworth: "If Sam goes, you'll be right here."

She had added "He will be going."

~ Strychnine bottle ~

Baron said that on another occasion his mother had produced a little bottle which contained what appeared to him to be strychnine.

She said she was going to give it to the sergeant at Wilcannia as Overton had indicated he was going to take it.

Baron said he had seen his mother with some of Overton's medicine and capsules spread out on paper in the kitchen.

His mother was putting into the capsules what appeared to him to be powdered milk, he said.

He said he had heard his mother and Mrs. Overton arguing but did not know what about.

He told Mr. F. W. Vizzard, Q.C. (for Mrs. Bods- worth) the incident of the capsules occurred about two or three days before Overton died.

Edwin James Baron, labourer, also of Kangaroo Island, said he was present when there was an argument between his mother and cook, Tom, at the station.

~ Saucepan thrown ~

He said his mother had grabbed a saucepan and a kettle of hot water and hurled them at the cook. Edwin Baron said that Overton was vomiting considerably when he was taken to hospital.

Mrs. Hazel Agnes Gaiter, of Myers Street, Wilcannia, said she was Mrs. Bodsworth's daughter.

She recalled her mother telling her that Overton would not be long at the station and that her future husband could have his job.

She told police prosecutor Sgt. C. Bush, that after Overton's death her mother had told her of a conversation with Mrs. Overton.

Her mother had said Mrs. Overton was very upset and was thinking about having her husband's body exhumed.

Dr. John Laing, director of the division of Forensic Medicine, Sydney, told the court that on November 26 last he took part in the exhumation of Overton's body at Adelaide.

Examination of the body later revealed no evidence of injury or disease.

Dr. Laing said specimens were taken and analysed. To Sgt. Bush, he said there was a significant amount of arsenic in the specimens analysed — between five and six grains — which was consistent with being a poisonous dose of arsenic.

In his opinion, this was the cause of Overton's death.

[“Second Committal - Woman faces 3 murder charges,” The Canberra Times (Australia), Feb. 20, 1965, p. 8]

***

SYDNEY, Friday. — A 52-year-old mother of nine children sentenced to life imprisonment for murder was granted a re-trial today by the Full Bench of the Court of Criminal Appeal.

The woman, Mrs Hazel Dulcie Bodsworth, was found guilty in Central Criminal Court on August 19 of having murdered Thomas Treganza, 70, at Wilcannia on January 17, 1958.

She sought a new trial on the grounds that the trial judge, Mr Justice Allen, had misdirected the jury on her husband's failure to give evidence.

The Court of Appeal comprised the Chief Justice, Sir Leslie Herron, Mr Justice Sugerman and Mr Justice Nagle.

Sir Leslie Herron, presiding, said the Crown had alleged that Mrs Bodsworth had poured methylated spirits over Treganza and set him alight.

In a statement from the dock at the trial Mrs Bodsworth said she was in bed with her husband at the time of Treganza's death.

~ No evidence by husband ~

The Chief Justice said the foreman of the jury at the trial had asked whether there was any reasonable explanation why no evidence was given by the husband.

Mr Justice Allen had dealt with the situation in his summing up by saying the inference was open to the jury that, if such evidence was not called, the testimony could not assist the accused.

Mr Justice Allen had also told the jury there was no rule of law which prevented an accused person from calling her own husband as a witness.

The Chief Justice said it was apparent that Mr Justice Allen had overlooked a direction of Parliament that the failure of an accused to call either husband or wife as a witness should not be the subject of any comment by the judge or counsel at the trial.

"It was an unfortunate error by the judge, who with his customary fairness, offered to discharge the jury", the Chief Justice said.

~ River drowning trial ~

"Counsel for Mrs Bodsworth, Mr M. J. Atwill, did not accept this, but preferred to stand on his rights", Sir Leslie Herron said.

He said a new trial of criminal proceedings was to be avoided where possible, but in this case the verdict of the jury should be set aside.

On March 24 this year Mrs Bodsworth and her husband, Henry William Bodsworth, were each sentenced to five years' goal after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of her first husband, Edward James Baron, 40, on August 30, 1950.

They had pleaded not guilty to a charge of murdering Baron.

The Crown alleged at the time that Mrs Bodsworth agreed to Bodsworth drowning Baron in the Murray River so that they could get married.

[“Re-Trial Granted - Bodsworth case judge erred,” The Canberra Times (Australia), Nov. 19, 1966, p. 3]

***

CHRONOLOGY

Aug. 30, 1950 – Edward James Grey Baron (40), Hazel’s first husband, dies. Drowned, Murray river, Buronga.

1955 – set fire to house in NSW (charged Dec. 4, 1964).

Arr. 19, 1956 – Milton Samuel Overton (44). Arsenic, lamb chop. At Netallie Station.

Jan. 17, 1958 – Thomas Tregenza, at Wilcannia (70), dies. Burned to death in bed. Methylated spirits. £2,000 bank account.

1964 – Overton corpse exhumed; arsenic found.

Jun. 10, 1965 – trial begins. Baron murder.

Jun. 11, 1965 – couple sentenced.