Pauline Parker, whose murder case inspired a film, dies aged 88
Pauline Parker has died aged 88 in Orkney, decades after she and her friend Juliet Hulme killed Parker’s mother in Christchurch, New Zealand. The 1954 murder, committed when the girls were 16 and 15, inspired the 1994 film *Heavenly Creatures*, starring Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey.
The teenagers were convicted and avoided the death penalty because they were under 18; Parker served five years in prison. After their release, they were given new identities and later moved to Scotland, though they are believed never to have met again. Hulme became crime writer Anne Perry and died in 2023; Parker, known as Hilary Nathan, later ran a horse stable in Orkney.
In short
- Pauline Parker died aged 88 in Orkney.
- She and Juliet Hulme killed Parker’s mother in 1954.
- Their case inspired the film *Heavenly Creatures*.
Explained simply
In 1954, Pauline Parker and her close friend Juliet Hulme killed Parker’s mother, Honora, in Christchurch, New Zealand. Parker was 16 and Hulme was 15; both were convicted and, because they were under 18, were not sentenced to death. Parker served five years in prison.
The case drew lasting attention and later inspired the film Heavenly Creatures, starring Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey. After their release, the two women were given new identities and moved separately to Scotland. Hulme became a crime writer under the name Anne Perry; Parker lived as Hilary Nathan and ran a horse stable in Orkney.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Notorious teenage killer who bludgeoned mother to death with friend and whose story inspired hit Kate Winslet film dies aged 88”.