A Tennessee man has been sentenced to life in jail in Fiji after being convicted of murdering his wife on their honeymoon in 2022, in response to native media.
Bradley Dawson, 40, was convicted of killing spouse Christe Chen, 36, in December 2024.
On Feb. Tuesday, he was sentenced to life in jail. Justice Riyaz Hamza, a decide in Fiji’s Lautoka Excessive Courtroom, mentioned that Dawson must serve a minimal of 18 years earlier than he will be thought of for a pardon, according to the Fiji Times.
Hamza mentioned that the eight-day trial proved that Dawson engaged in conduct which brought about Chen’s dying whereas they have been staying at an unique island resort, the Fiji Instances mentioned. Hamza additionally mentioned that Dawson meant to trigger Chen’s dying or was reckless as to inflicting it, in response to the Fiji Instances.
Chen, a graduate of the College of Tennessee Well being Science Middle, was working as a pharmacist on the time of her dying, CBS affiliate WREG reported.
College of Tennessee Well being Science Middle
Members of the workers had heard the couple arguing earlier than the homicide, and Chen was discovered the subsequent day by resort workers, with a number of blunt trauma wounds to her head. In 2022, a lawyer representing Christe Chen’s parents said their daughter’s physique was so badly broken that she could not be embalmed for return to the U.S. and her stays have been cremated.
Dawson fled by kayak to a close-by island after he killed Chen. He was discovered about 36 hours after Chen’s physique was found, together with his passport and different belongings with him. Hamza mentioned this indicated he deliberate to flee.
“Your conduct after the incident was appalling. Having inflicted severe and life-threatening accidents to the deceased you fled the scene of the crime, leaving the deceased alone and helpless,” Hamza mentioned in the course of the sentencing, partially, in response to the Fiji Instances.
