A multi-million dollar inheritance, an episode of Frasier, and a Google search for ‘how to commit murder’.
Natasha Darcy, known as the ‘Widow of Walcha’, was as clumsy a killer as she was calculated.
*A warning, the details in this article might upset some readers.
Natasha murdered her partner Matthew Dunbar on August 2nd 2017 in northern New South Wales after four months of planning.
She made hundreds of internet searches into “undetectable poisons”, “how to commit murder”, and “can police see past web history”.
Eventually, on July 29th, she came across a site suggesting helium asphyxiation.
If you’re interested in this case, Crime in Focus: Killer Charm could be your next binge-worthy true crime obsession:
Natsha had already been telling friends and family that Matthew was depressed and suicidal, planting stories that he was struggling over his sexuality, and was in poor health and financial trouble.
In reality, Natasha had convinced Matthew to make her the sole beneficiary of his multi-million dollar estate in 2015.
In the early hours of August 2nd, Natasha sent a message from Matthew’s phone that looked like a suicide note, and called the police.
Natasha was taken into custody, maintaining Matthew had taken his own life and she had only assisted.
But the lie was shattered when her friend came forward with two letters she had received from Natasha bribing her to commit perjury and lie about Matthew’s mental state.
Natasha wrote she got the idea from an episode of Frasier where the titular character lies for his brother in court.
The judge ruled that Natasha committed Matthew’s murder to inherit his estate and ultimately sentenced her to 40 years.
The judge labelled her actions as “callous and relentless” as well as “stupid, clumsy and ugly”.
Killer Charm is a new season of Crime in Focus, taking you through a notorious Queensland murder. It looked like a tragic industrial accident at first, but Bruce Saunders’ death was planned. Investigative journalist Tara Cassidy tells the story of manipulation, greed, and control and the investigation that unearthed the truth.