THE DOORKNOCK KILLER

He’s been dubbed the killer who came knocking and police believe the murderer who violently killed two Sydney women could be a serial killer.

On June 8, 1973, 26-year-old Lyn y White was at home in her Coogee apartment with her 11-week-old son when she was sexually assaulted and stabbed 11 times while her baby, thankfully unharmed, lay in his cot.

“He broke in and forced her at knifepoint p to undress,” , Duncan says. “It appears he tried to sexually assault her before someone delivering nappies turned up at the front door. Lyn must have made a run for the front door, but he came at her, stabbing her. It was a horrific crime – he slit her throat in her own hallway in front of her baby.” Less than a year later, and just 3km away, on April 22, 1974, 20-year-old newlywed student teacher Maria Smith was bound, gagged, raped and strangled with her own stockings in her Randwick flat.

‘Advancements in DNA testing may yield clues’

Both women, whose husbands were at work when the murders occurred, had answered a doorknock and were killed by the stranger on their front step.

“Police believe the man had asked Lyn for a glass of water because a broken mug was found on the floor,” says Duncan. “Maria was asked for a pencil and paper and her killer pounced when her back was turned.

“This is a clear-cut case of a predator preying on the good nature of young women. If the crime-scene materials are still intact, advancements in DNA testing may yield clues to identify the predator.”

In May this year, the NSW state government tabled a $1 million reward for information leading to a conviction in Maria’s murder.

“I’ve wondered if this killer is of the serial category,” says Duncan. “It will be compelling to see what investigators uncover now the case has been linked to such a massive reward.”