Kath Pettingill, the mother of the Walsh Street police killers, dies

Posted Tue 4 Aug 2026 at 6:54pmTue 4 Aug 2026 at 6:54pm, updated Tue 4 Aug 2026 at 6:55pmTue 4 Aug 2026 at 6:55pmCrime matriarch Kath Pettingill, pictured at the 2002 funeral of her son, Victor Peirce, has died. (ABC News)The mother of one of Melbourne's most notorious crime families responsible for the Walsh Street police killings has died, aged 91.Kath Pettingill's death was confirmed by a family member, who declined to comment to the ABC.Among her many children, Pettingill was the mother of Trevor Pettingill and Victor Peirce, who were charged with two other men over the 1988 murder of two young police officers in Walsh Street in South Yarra.Underworld figure Victor Peirce was one of Pettingill's 10 children. (ABC News)Constables Steven Tynan and Damien Eyre were ambushed and killed after being called to investigate a dumped stolen car.The double shooting was said to be a revenge attack after the Armed Robbery Squad shot dead close friend of the Richmond-based family, Graeme Jensen.All four were later acquitted by a jury.Peirce's wife, Wendy, was meant to have been a key witness in the trial. But after 18 months in witness protection, costing $2 million, she changed her mind and refused to give evidence.After Pierce was later shot dead in Bay Street in Port Melbourne in an underworld hit, she told media that her husband had indeed planned and carried out the murders.Two police officers were killed in Walsh Street, South Yarra in October 1988. (ABC News)Among Pettingill's other children were her eldest son, drug dealer Dennis Bruce Allen, who was known as Dr Death.He was a suspect in more than 10 murders. He died in jail.Another son, Peter Allen, was a convicted heroin dealer. Pettingill's family was the inspiration behind the 2010 Australian movie Animal Kingdom, in which actor Jacki Weaver played matriarch Janine Cody.In an interview with News Corp in 2011, Pettingill did not give a glowing review of the movie or Weaver's portrayal."Jacki Weaver and I have only one thing in common, neither of us can act," she told the Sunday Herald Sun shortly after the film's release."I've seen the movie and I'm not impressed. She's supposed to have read books about me and studied me for the part, but it doesn't come off," she said.Pettingill had a glass eye, reportedly as a result of being shot in the 1970s as she and Dennis Allen tried to repay a debt on behalf of a daughter.