John Walsh

John Walsh (born 1939) is an Irish−Australian mass-murderer convicted of the murder of three immediate family members in 2008 and a fellow inmate whilst imprisoned at Long Bay Correctional Centre in 2017.

Walsh's pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court of New South Wales to four counts of murder and one count of grievous bodily harm with intent to murder and was sentenced to three sentences of life without the possibility of parole as well as two additional sentences totalling 27 years for his crimes. He is considered one of Corrective Services New South Wales' most dangerous prisoners and is never to be released from prison.

Life Walsh was married to Scottish-Australian Jean Walsh (born 1955) and had three children; 2 sons and 1 daughter (Shelly Walsh) with one son (Scott Walsh) having died from suicide in 2002. John Walsh was described during sentencing to have "had regular employment throughout his adult life".

At the time of the murders, John and Jean Walsh lived at Brougham Street, Cowra in the Central West region of New South Wales.

Cowra murders On 29 June 2008, Walsh's daughter, policewoman Shelly Walsh, who was stationed at Parkes, left her two children Kevin Hodges (aged 7) and Jamie Hodges (aged 5) in the care of her parents which was her regular arrangement whilst she worked nightshift. Shelly Walsh had divorced from her husband and the father of her children, former policeman Darrell Hodges, who lived in Newcastle. John Walsh stated to his daughter during the act that "I am doing this because I love you. When I am done with you lot I am going to Newcastle to kill your ex-husband. We are all better off this way. This is the way it has to be." Jean Walsh, Kevin and Jamie Hodges were all buried together at Cowra General Cemetery after a funeral service attended by Commissioner of Police Andrew Scipione and over 200 mourners.

At a hearing of the Supreme Court on 10 August 2018, Walsh pleaded guilty to the murder of Townsend. On 23 August of the same month, Walsh was again sentenced by Justice McCallum to life imprisonment without parole, stating: "The offender appears to acknowledge that he is dangerous. As already noted, he said he “works in cold rage” and that his mind “works without you even having to think about it".

Justice McCallum remarked during sentencing that she was "satisfied that the offender is not the least bit remorseful" and acknowledged that despite her now tasked with sentencing for the murder of Townsend, "the two life sentences I imposed in 2009, the offender has no entitlement to be released on parole at any time" whatever the case.

Health Before his arrest in 2008, Walsh had a pronounced limp as a result of hip replacement surgery; he also had three titanium screws in his right shoulder due to separate surgery and is blind in one eye as a result of radiotherapy treatment also received before his arrest. He also suffers from partial deafness. In 2016, he was the victim of a serious assault in prison as a result of which he suffered a traumatic pneumothorax and facial fractures.

Victims + # Victim Age Relationship Charge Sentence 1 Jean Walsh 52 Wife Murder Imprisonment with a non-parole period of 15 years 2 Jamie Hodges 5 Granddaughter Murder Life imprisonment without parole 3 Kevin Hodges 7 Grandson Murder Life imprisonment without parole 4 Shelly Walsh − Daughter Grievous bodily harm with intent to murder Imprisonment with a non-parole period of 12 years 5 Frank Townsend 71 Cell mate Murder Life imprisonment without parole