Sunday 23 February
11:00 – 12:30
Tickets via our Eventbrite page.
This presentation will be recorded and made available on our vimeo channel.
Already an established academic writer, Kay Duke has turned her hand to writing true crime – taking inspiration from her own family!
Duke’s ancestor, Herbert Kopit gained the infamous moniker of “the killer of people on trains” . In her recently published historical narrative, Duke details the progression from that initial morning horror through the criminal investigation and police chase, culminating in the court proceedings and imprisonment. Not only focusing on Kopit, Duke reveals layers of fascinating details of others who played a part in this story.
Duke is a diligent researcher and a delightful speaker. We look forward to hearing her discoveries of this family ‘black sheep,’ her experience of the writing process and her simultaneous search for understanding of her own family and its mythology.
You can purchase Kay’s book on the day or via her website. There are also podcasts and other information about this crime on her website https://mailtrainmurders.com.
Kay Duke is the first speaker of the Queensland Police Museum’s 2025 Sunday Stories.
The Museum is open 9am – 4pm Monday to Thursday; and from 10am – 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb to Nov).
“Sunday Stories: The Mail Train Murders – Historical True Crime – Kay Duke” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode