By December 1976, Worrell and Miller were still working together as labourers at the Unley Council and were sharing a flat at Ovingham. Every night Miller would drive Worrell to look for girls. In fact, Miller was so devoted to Worrell that he often slept in the car overnight while his friend was in an apartment with a new girlfriend.
Miller said that on the night of Thursday, December 23, 1976, the stores of Adelaide were packed with shoppers buying last-minute Christmas gifts. There were lots of young women about that night and Worrell told Miller to drive around the main block of the city shopping centre while he went for a walk.
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| Veronica Knight |
Worrell often went off on his own. This time he was quite a while and Miller had to drive around the block twice before he picked up Worrell and 18-year-old Veronica Knight at the front of the Majestic Hotel. Veronica had accepted the offer of a lift home. She lived at the nearby Salvation Army Hostel in Angas Street and had become separated from her friend while shopping at the City Cross Arcade. This was when Worrell introduced himself and on the way to her home the persuasive young man allegedly talked her into going for a drive with them into the Adelaide foothills.
Miller pulled the car into a sidetrack and Worrell forced the girl into the back seat. Miller went for a walk to allow his friend some privacy and waited for half an hour before returning to the car. Worrell was sitting in the front seat and the girl was lying motionless on the floor in the back. She was fully dressed. Worrell told Miller that he had just raped and murdered the girl. Miller flew into a rage and grabbed Worrell by the shirt.
"You fool, you fucking fool," he yelled at Worrell. "Do you want to ruin everything." While Miller had him by the shirt, Worrell produced a long wooden handled knife and held it to Miller's throat. He told Miller to let him go or he would kill him as well.
There was no doubt in Miller's mind that Worrell meant it.
Worrell directed Miller to drive through Gawler and towards Truro a few miles further on. They drove down a dirt track called Swamp Road and pulled over next to a wooded area. When Miller resisted helping Worrell lift the body from the car, Worrell again threatened him with the knife. Then they disposed of the body. "He asked me to give him a hand to carry her into the bushes," Miller said. "Her hands were tied. He always tied them. We got through the fence and dragged her under."
Together they lay the body on the ground and covered it with branches and leaves. They then drove back to Adelaide. The following day they reported for work as if nothing had happened. Worrell, who had been in a bad mood ever since the killing, was back to his normal effervescent self by the time they reached work.
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