They buried Aaron in the backyard of
their home on Broughton Way, Orelia.
Trudi’s son later covered the spot in
cement and bright red tiles, not knowing
what was underneath.
Aaron’s housemate reported him
missing the next day. His phone record
showed the last call had come from
Trudi. This led officers to “Elm Street.”
Aaron was found under the new paving
tiles in the yard.
The search uncovered a motley
collection of tools – dozens of knives,
a bone saw, scalpels, a machete, and a
handwritten list of torture techniques.
A large square of carpet had been cut
away from the living-room floor which
police believe had been stained with
blood. A Turkish-style rug had been laid
over the gap.
Further evidence came from the
security cameras Jemma had installed
around the house to keep an eye on her
motorcycle collection. Images showed
Aaron arriving at the house and Jemmawalking around with a carving knife.
Police found a pot on a table that
contained meat dissolved in acid. It
looked like a trial run.
The killers blamed each other. Jemma
said she was sleeping when Aaron waskilled. Trudi said she only helped to
clean up the mess after Jemma had
slaughtered Aaron.
The pair was brought before Justice
Stephen Hall at the Supreme Court of
Western Australia in November 2017 for
a five-week trial.The court heard that Jemma loved
sharp knives and had written an online
novel fuelled with dark fantasies. Her
pet name was SOS, based on the lead
character in the book she had written –
about a serial killer.
She had boasted of Aaron’s murder
to a work colleague. This was five
days after Aaron had disappeared but
three days before he was found. “The
police are so dumb,” she said. Her
work colleague was horrified. He said
he might go to the police but Jemma
changed tack and said she had made it
all up.
Another co-worker told the court that
Jemma had told him she “wanted to be
a serial killer and she wanted to leave
her mark.” She had wanted to go on a
“slaughterfest.”
Only Jemma took the stand for the
defendants. She said the murder-soaked
text exchanges between them had been
a fantasy, a role-play to build characters
for a new book.s Bucket List Killers
JEMMA AND TRUDI WERE
“I feel as though I
cannot rest until the
blood or lesh of a fresh
pleading screaming
victim is gushing out
and pooling on the
loor”Killers Jemma Lilley, far
left, and Trudi Lenon, left.
Clockwise from above left:
the burial spot covered over
with cement and red tiles;
police tape outside the crime
scene in Broughton Way,
Orelia; a pot containing meat
dissolved in acid; the tiled
utility room with a gurney