Domestic violence is not a new concept. It has been around since the dawn of time. As we begin our coverage of domestic violence in the Macarthur region, we wanted to highlight one of the earliest inmate partner violence murders in the area, which involved James Richardson and the murders of his wife, Elizabeth Richardson, his stepdaughter Sarah Lack and his stepgrandchild.
In the early hours of January 20th 1849, Elizabeth Richardson, her daughter Sarah Sophia Lack and her grandchild were murdered quite brutally by James Richardson, Elizabeth’s husband. One familial survivor of the attack was Sarah Lack, Sarah Sophia’s niece and Elizabeth’s granddaughter.
Editor’s Note: There are two Sarah Lacks mentioned in this article. After the first paragraph, the elder Sarah Lack is referred to as Sarah Sophia to avoid confusion with her niece, who shares the same forename.
Words From A Descendant
The History Buff wrote that the crime occurred at 4 am and that the younger Sarah Lack suffered severe injuries. The article also uses the Trove archives to piece together, thanks to Alan Jarman, a descendant of the women who were murdered.
James Richardson, on the day of the murder, had gone to Adelaide. However, on the morning of the murder, he watched his wife’s house with a gun. His blood allegedly boiled over when he heard chatter from his wife and a man she had invited. Richardson broke down the door with the same axe he would use to kill his wife, stepdaughter and stepgrandchild.
Young Sarah Lack’s head was injured by a candlestick that James Richardson had bought. However, one detail seems to be the sticking point: Elizabeth Richardson allowed the man into the house.
Was There A Man In The House On The Morning Of The Richardson-Lack Murders?
According to what the Sydney Morning Herald was told at the time of the murder, the man was “struck with the gun-barrel and then ran away with it.” It could be possible that this part of the story is fictional and that James Richardson was watching his estranged wife’s house to see if she was cheating.
Unreliable Witnesses And Possible Theories
Various witness statements were proven to be unreliable during the inquest, which occurred on the day the murder happened. According to one recount, it was said that Richardson might’ve been inappropriate with Sarah Sophia when she was a teenager. A rumour floated down through the later generations that Sarah Sophia’s baby was fathered by her stepfather. It has been suggested this is the reason why Elizabeth and James fell out because she found out about his alleged affair with her daughter.
Before she died, Sarah Sophia Lack is believed to have screamed, “Please don’t hurt me on account of the baby.” It is unclear if she ever said this and whether her stepfather was the father of her child.
James Richardson Was Watching The House… Why?
Another question is that James Richardson might not have been watching the house because of his wife. It is entirely possible that he was seeing if his stepdaughter had any other men on the side.
James Richardson was found guilty of murder and was executed on May 7th 1849 at Darlinghurst Gaol. He had buried the murder weapons in a paddock that was close by. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Richardson, Sarah Sophia Lack and Sarah Sophia’s infant were buried in unmarked graves at the Saint Peter’s Cemetery.
Young Sarah Lack: Sole Survivor
It is believed that the crime scene was particularly gruesome, given the amount of blood at the scene. James Richardson likely kept slashing at the three victims until they were dead.
What’s fascinating about this is that the perpetrator handed himself in afterwards. Interestingly, this is not something we see a lot in domestic violence cases. Most will either kill themselves before they can be caught, or they have to be arrested where they plead not guilty.
