Dear Rachelle investigation: Key murder suspect asked ‘did you kill her?’

The prime suspect in one of Australia’s most perplexing murder mysteries has broken his silence. Watch the video and listen to the podcast.

EXCLUSIVE: The prime suspect in a murder investigation is believed to have flown to Thailand just days after being approached by this masthead about the death of his former employee, Rachelle Childs.

Kevin Steven Correll, 69, left Australia shortly after the confrontation, only to be dumped a month later by his 22-year-old Thai girlfriend who said they had conflicting opinions.

Mr Correll was working at The Entrance Leagues Club on the NSW Central Coast on March 14 when he was confronted by the Dear Rachelle podcast team.

Host Ashlea Hansen questioned him about his alleged involvement in the unsolved 2001 murder. Mr Correll has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has never been charged.

When Ms Hansen directly asked if he killed Rachelle, he responded: “Get out of here, will ya? F***.”

WATCH THE VIDEO IN THE PLAYER ABOVE

Investigative journalist Ashlea Hansen confronts key suspect in Rachelle Childs murder, Kevin Steven Correll, outside his workplace. Picture: Jeff Darmanin

She pressed further: “Did you lure Rachelle to her death with the promise of a Walkinshaw (elite Holden motor vehicle)?”

Mr Correll started to reply, “I’ve been through plenty of …” but trailed off. When asked why he changed his surname from Cornwall to Correll he got into his car and drove off.

He then returned to the club and explained the situation to operations manager Jason Cousins, who said he had been unaware that Mr Correll was considered a key suspect in the case, or that he had previously been acquitted of four historic sexual assault charges.

LISTEN TO INVESTIGATION UPDATE 3 BELOW

Mr Correll worked at the club for more than four years as an RSA marshal, a role involving the monitoring of intoxicated patrons and escorting young female staff to their vehicles after late shifts. He was employed not directly by the club, but through contractor Vital Security.

“When the van load of journalists jumped him in the car park, he went to Thailand for three or four weeks, and he hasn’t been back since,” Mr Cousins said.

He said he only realised Mr Correll wasn’t returning to work when the security company sent a replacement to cover his shifts.

LISTEN TO THE LATEST DEAR RACHELLE PODCAST EPISODES BELOW:

Mr Correll’s ex-partner, Marion*, told the Dear Rachelle team he was suspended for six weeks following the car park confrontation.

The pair was in a relationship for about three years, starting around 2009. Their break-up was amicable, and they remain friends, even holidaying in Thailand together last year.

“He was due to go on a holiday, he went on his holiday, and it was when he came back that they had a meeting with him and just said … they can’t have that for their club members. They just wanted him to take a break for six weeks,” she said.

Jason Cousins, Operations Manager of The Entrance Tigers Leagues Club in Bateau Bay, where Kevin Steven Correll worked as an RSA Marshall. Picture: Julian Andrews

Mr Cousins said he was unaware Mr Correll had been escorting female staff to their cars, but added that was a “very normal” thing to do for someone in his role. He also said there had been no complaints about Mr Correll from staff or patrons, and described him as “very personable.”

“I’ve had a few members ask if he’s the same guy they’re talking about in the paper, and I say, ‘You go ask Kevin’,” he said.

LISTEN TO EARLIER EPISODES OF THE PODCAST BELOW:

At the time of the carpark confrontation, Mr Correll was in a long-distance relationship with a Thai woman, identified as Mina*.

Mina described him as “very polite” but said their three-month romance lacked long-term potential.

“I broke up with him [in April],” she said. “Our opinions did not match, so I wanted to end our relationship.”

By then, Mr Correll had returned to Australia.

Person of interest in the murder of Rachelle Childs, Kevin Steven Correll, as seen in social media post

Marion said she believes Mr Correll was innocent of Rachelle’s murder because he’s too “gentle, caring and empathetic” to be a killer.

“I believe he’s innocent only because of all these years and not one vicious thing … I just cannot imagine him doing anything that evil,” she said.

“He’s just so gentle, romantic, caring, supportive, generous. I mean, my roof was collapsing and he just forwarded money to me to get it fixed. I don’t know. I cannot see anything bad. I can’t. And I don’t think you can keep up a facade like that since 2009.”

She said Mr Correll rarely spoke to her about Rachelle’s death, but had once given her transcripts from the coronial inquest to read. During the inquest, Mr Correll denied any involvement in her murder.

At the time of her death, Rachelle was working under Mr Correll at Camden Holden in south-west Sydney. She was murdered, set alight, and left in bushland beside a road in Gerroa — about 100km from her home in Bargo.

Despite a lengthy police investigation, no one has ever been charged over her death.

Vital Security has been contacted for comment.

* name changed.

For more information about our investigation, visit dearachelle.com.au.

If you have any tips or confidential information, please contact investigative journalist Ashlea Hansen at [e-mail].

You can also join our Dear Rachelle podcast Facebook group.