His Bloody Project: A Historical Thriller

This portion of the book is not presented as a historical document but as Burnet’s distillation of several historical sources.

As he notes, the case gained notoriety before it began thanks to Roderick’s memoirs and, as such, “[s]pecial accommodations had been made in the court-room for the large number of reporters wishing to attend the trial” (167). He describes the Crown’s defense team, which cautions the jury to disregard the memoirs in their considerations and notes Roderick’s plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. The Crown proceeds to lay out its case, detailing the crimes against Lachlan, Flora, and Donnie Mackenzie.

The first witness is the doctor responsible for the autopsies, who describes the injuries inflicted upon the Mackenzies as “the most brutal” (171) he has ever seen. Carmina Murchison is the next to take the stand, describing the day of the attack and the nature of the relations between the Macraes and the Mackenzies, saying that Lachlan tormented the Macrae family in his capacity as constable. In cross-examination, Sinclair gets Carmina to discuss Roderick’s family—including the recent death of his mother, Jetta’s interest in the supernatural, and Roderick’s habit of speaking to himself.

The next witness is Kenny Murchison, who describes the crime scene as he observed it.