20 Mar 2015

Claim possible NZ serial killer stopped

6:31 pm on 20 March 2015

Police in Australia say they are confident they stopped a serial killer in the making with the conviction of New Zealander Daniel Kelsall yesterday.

Daniel Kelsall is escorted to a prison transport vehicle at the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney, Wednesday, March 18, 2015. Kelsall, a 21-year-old cleaner, has been found guilty of murder and indecent assault in the stabbing death of Morgan Huxley, at his unit in Sydney's north on September 8, 2013.

Daniel Kelsall is escorted to a prison transport vehicle at the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney on 18 March. Photo: aap

Kelsall, 21, was found guilty of murdering businessman Morgan Huxley in a frenzied knife attack after following him home in September 2013.

The police said Kelsall killed for the sake of killing and it was an unprovoked, senseless, motiveless murder.

Kelsall moved to Sydney from Wellington in 2012 and police have carried out checks into his past in New Zealand, cross-checking any unsolved murders around the time.

The Daily Telegraph visited some of his former friends who spoke of him as a loner with a penetrating stare.

Daily Telegraph crime reporter Mark Morri said it had emerged Kelsall stalked two potential victims both before and after killing Mr Huxley.

"Police said they were positive both incidents were related to the murder," he said.

"They did contact the authorities in [New Zealand] to check in case there were any murders or unsolved murders or disappearances around where he lived around the time he was there.

"[Kelsall] told his psychologist, just over 12 months beforehand, he wanted to kill for the thrill of it."