A woman called her husband a 'cheating bastard' before she was allegedly killed and her death staged as a lawnmower accident, a jury has heard.
uncertain
jury → call → accident
Robert John Crawford, 49, sent his wife Frances love messages while also texting a mistress in the months leading up to her death, Brisbane Supreme Court was told.
asserted
Court → send → death
Hundreds of texts between the couple were on Thursday shown at the murder trial for Crawford, who has been accused of strangling his wife at their property west of Brisbane in the early hours of July 30, 2024.
asserted
who → show → July
Ms Crawford's body was found by paramedics at the bottom of a retaining wall near an overturned ride-on lawnmower with Crawford attempting CPR.
asserted
Crawford → find → CPR
The 49-year-old psychologist and mother-of-three was declared dead at the scene.
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psychologist → declare → scene
In the text exchanges shown on Thursday, Ms Crawford wrote a lengthy 'impact statement' to her husband about the physical, sexual, emotional and spiritual toll of his multiple infidelities.
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Crawford → show → infidelities
'I was angry that I had wasted my life with this cheating bastard,' Ms Crawford said in the statement she sent her husband on June 16, 2024.
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she → waste → June
Ms Crawford said the one thing she wanted in a relationship was fidelity.
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she → say → relationship
'I got the biggest cheat in the world,' she told Crawford via the Signal app.
asserted
she → got → app
'I thought I dodged a bullet with one boyfriend but instead I ran into an atomic bomb.'
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I → think → bomb
Frances Crawford (above) had written lengthy texts about her husband's infidelities
Robert Crawford (above) allegedly strangled his wife before staging her death as a ride-on mower accident on July 29, 2024
She had separated from her husband after discovering his years of prior infidelities in July 2023, but he later moved back into the family home.
uncertain
he → write → home
The couple would also frequently exchange messages about their love.
asserted
couple → exchange → love
'I'm sorry for calling you all those names.
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I → call → names
You are trying to be a better man,' Ms Crawford said.
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Crawford → try → ?
'I believe you can be the person God intended you to be.'
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you → believe → ?
After returning from an overseas work trip, Crawford texted: 'I'm so sorry I hurt you by acting selfishly in the past.'
Crawford was sometimes sending texts to one of his mistresses at the same time as his wife, the jury heard.
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jury → return → wife
On the morning before Ms Crawford died, her husband texted: 'Hey Franny guess what?
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husband → die → what
I miss you (love heart emoji)'
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I → miss → emoji
Crawford claims his wife died from crushing injuries or traumatic asphyxia from being caught under the lawnmower's steering wheel while moving the vehicle away from automated lawn sprinklers.
uncertain
wife → claim → sprinklers
Other messages show the pair discussing moving the lawnmower inside but prosecutors alleged these were fabricated (above)
asserted
these → show → lawnmower
Prosecutor Chris Cook has accused Crawford of fabricating text messages that night between his wife and himself to cover his tracks.
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Cook → accuse → tracks
Defence barrister Sault Holt has described the messages as crucial evidence.
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Holt → describe → evidence
'Hey are you going to put mower away soon?'
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you → go → mower
Ms Crawford's phone texted to her husband's phone at 11:21pm.
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phone → texte → 11:21pm
Crawford texted at 11:26pm: 'You can just turn sprinklers off if easier too XX'.
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You → texte → sprinklers
He would later text that he was finished studying.
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he → text → ?
Xx stop watching Korean Netflix and come to bed' he texted at 12:31am.
asserted
he → stop → 12:31am
He sent a final text at 12:35am that said: 'Hey I'm getting really sleepy'.
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I → send → 12:35am
Crawford would call triple zero at 3:35am and say he had found his wife underneath a lawnmower.
asserted
he → call → lawnmower
He has pleaded not guilty to murder at his trial, which began in October.
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which → plead → October
The trial continues.
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trial → continue → ?
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