A newlywed husband has been convicted of murdering his wife on their honeymoon, leaving her in a pool of blood at a luxury resort in Fiji, a court has heard.
Bradley Robert Dawson, 40, was found guilty of killing his 36-year-old wife, Christe Chen Dawson, during their stay at the Turtle Island Resort in Yasawa on July 9, 2022, reported by the Mirror. Christe, a recent graduate of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and a pharmacist at Kroger Pharmacy, was discovered brutally beaten inside their honeymoon suite.
Dawson, a Memphis, Tennessee native, was arrested a day later at Matacawalevu Village. Police said he was found with his passport and personal belongings, which indicated an attempt to flee. Delivering the judgment on Thursday, Justice Riyaz Hamza dismissed Dawson’s claim that his wife’s death was an accident.
The judge said: “I am of the opinion that the defence’s version cannot be believed, and the same version is rejected. Having analysed all the evidence in its totality, I am of the opinion that the prosecution witnesses were all truthful, credible, and reliable in their testimony.”
Justice Hamza continued: “From the totality of the evidence, I am satisfied that the prosecution has disapproved of the defence of provocation. Having considered all the evidence in its totality, I am of the opinion that the prosecution has proved the charge of murder against the accused beyond reasonable doubt.”
The court heard that Christe’s injuries were so severe her body could not be flown back to the United States. Instead, her family made the heartbreaking decision to have her cremated in Fiji, with her ashes later returned to Memphis.
Ronald Gordon, the lawyer representing Christe’s parents and estate, told the Daily Mail: “The deceased was unable to be taken back to her home because of the nature of her injuries … so she had to be cremated here in Fiji and her ashes were taken back.”
Gordon revealed that Christe’s parents were informed of their only child’s death through a late-night phone call from the State Department. Initially, they believed it was a prank. Police later confirmed Dawson had left his phone and GPS watch at the resort before fleeing.
The couple, married in February 2022, were said to have had a heated argument the night before the attack. Dawson’s sentencing is scheduled for January 27 in Fiji.
The tragic case, which began as a whirlwind romance, has drawn international attention and left Christe’s family seeking justice for their devastating loss.