Kathleen Folbigg
Kathleen Megan Folbigg (née Donovan; born 14 June 1967) is an Australian woman who was found guilty in 2003 of murdering her four infant children. She was pardoned in 2023 after 20 years in jail following a long campaign for justice by her supporters, and had her convictions overturned on appeal a few months later.
Kathleen Folbigg | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kathleen Megan Donovan 14 June 1967 |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Known for | Wrongly accused of murdering her own children |
| Children | 4 |
No direct evidence of the alleged crimes was ever found, but in the personal diary discovered by her husband and dutifully handed over to the police, several entries seemed to suggest she might have harmed, and indeed murdered, her children. She was arrested in 2001 and convicted in 2003, sentenced to 40 years with a non-parole period of 30 years. Folbigg maintained her innocence, however, claiming the four children had died from natural causes.
Scientific and medical research suggesting the daughters might indeed have died of natural causes was rejected by a judicial inquiry in 2019. Subsequent research published in 2020 led ninety eminent Australian scientists and medical professionals, in March 2021, to petition the NSW Governor to pardon Folbigg. The petition succinctly demonstrated that all four deaths could be explained as the effects of very rare genetic factors. On 5 June 2023, Folbigg was unconditionally pardoned by NSW Governor Margaret Beazley and was released from prison.