Kath Pettingill, the matriarch of one of Melbourne's most infamous crime families linked to the 1988 Walsh Street police killings, has died at the age of 91. Her death was confirmed by a family member who declined to comment further to ABC News.

Among her ten children were Trevor Pettingill and Victor Peirce, both charged alongside others over the murder of two young police officers, Constables Steven Tynan and Damien Eyre, who were ambushed and killed while investigating a dumped stolen car in South Yarra. The double shooting was reportedly a revenge attack following the Armed Robbery Squad's killing of Graeme Jensen, a close friend of the Richmond-based family.

Kath Pettingill's life was marked by hardship and brutality, yet she vowed to protect her children at all costs. Despite spending 18 months in witness protection at a cost of $2 million, she ultimately refused to give evidence in the case.

Her family’s story was fictionalised in the 2010 film Animal Kingdom. Reflecting on the film's portrayal, Pettingill told the Sunday Herald Sun, "Jacki Weaver and I have only one thing in common, neither of us can act."

Pettingill also spoke openly about her family’s troubled history, noting in 1996, "Well, Dennis is dead, Peter is at Barwon Prison, Vicki is with witness protection. Then I have Victor at Bendigo prison, then I had Jamie, who is deceased. He was murdered. My youngest son Trevor is at Bendigo prison."

Her death closes a significant chapter in Melbourne's criminal history.

Sources