Key evidence vanished in mysterious death investigation of Dr Karen Mahlo
Two key pieces of evidence that could prove whether Dr Karen Mahlo’s death was suicide vanished during the police investigation.
Two critical pieces of evidence disappeared during the investigation into the mysterious death of Dr Karen Mahlo.
A USB, which police determined had been plugged into her computer just hours before she was found by her ex-lover John Hehir, wasn’t discovered by police and collected as evidence.
The USB, named John’s USB was plugged into Dr Mahlo computer at 2.45am, minutes before two suicide notes were allegedly written by the doctor to her children and Mr Hehir.
The suicide notes were printed and found downstairs and Dr Mahlo’s body was found in her bed with a kitchen knife embedded in her chest about 5am.
At the time of her death, police were unaware it had been plugged into her computer, and it’s unclear if the USB was still in the home.
While police never found the USB, they did determine years later that the same USB was used three times in the months after her death on a computer used by Mr Hehir.
The other key item that disappeared was a printer that went missing out of a storage facility set up by her estate.
Her family believe the printer could have shown what had been printed from the computer, including a second will which removed Mr Hehir as a beneficiary.
Forensic experts have argued the lack of evidence gathered or seized at the scene, unanswered questions about the USB and printer, the method of death and injuries to Dr Mahlo, as well as conflicting accounts given by Mr Hehir during court hearings, raise questions about the Coroner’s original findings.
At the inquest a police computer expert said he was not sure when the USB was removed from Dr Mahlo’s computer.
After being taken to the station by police to be interviewed, on the morning of Dr Mahlo’s death, Mr Hehir was dropped back outside her home, where police had shut down their crime scene within seven hours of arriving.
At the inquest, Mr Hehir said he would have taken the USB from Dr Mahlo’s home if it had his name on it and must have when he collected items from the home that day.
He explained that he always wrote his name on USB devices because his business had so many.
“Did you think that it might be important if there was a USB device in the computer to leave it there?” counsel assisting the coroner Craig Chowdhury asked Mr Hehir.
“No. I didn’t,” Mr Hehir responded.
“Did police give you permission to remove items from the office?” Mr Chowdhury asked.
“I had the discussion with them, they dropped me there, I asked was it okay that I go in, they said, yes, we’re finished with the house and I said I’ve got a lot of things still in there and they said, yeah, you can collect anything that’s yours,” Mr Hehir responded.
In the lead up to her death, Dr Mahlo in May 2008 had written a new will and her father said he had seen a printed and signed version.
Dr Mahlo and Mr Hehir split up in April and he moved out of the home.
The previous will, written in February, had the financial planner as the main beneficiary of her multimillion-dollar estate.
But no printed version of the new will was found.
The printer, which could have helped prove if her new will was ever printed, was not seized by police and vanished from Dr Mahlo’s estate storage after being listed on the inventory.
Mr Hehir was executor of the will. While he admitted going to the storage unit, to pick up some items, he denied taking the printer.
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The matter was later raised at an inquest into Dr Mahlo’s death.
“Were you aware that an inventory was done of all items that were put into storage from Dr Mahlo’s estate?” Mr Chowdhury asked.
“I would assume that,” Mr Hehir responded.
“Were you aware that a printer from her office was put on that inventory as going into storage?” Mr Chowdhury asked.
“No. I wasn’t aware of it,” Mr Hehir responded.
“And when it was searched for afterwards – that is, after you had been there to collect whatever item you wanted the printer could not be found. Are you aware of that?” Mr Chowdhury asked.
“No. I’m not,” Mr Hehir responded.
“Are you responsible for removing that printer?” Mr Chowdhury asked Mr Hehir.
“No, I’m not,” Mr Hehir responded.
Originally published as Key evidence vanished in mysterious death investigation of Dr Karen Mahlo
