A man facing his third divorce has been found guilty of murdering his estranged wife.
David and Linda Maggs had been together for 28 years before their relationship broke down in 2020 and the pair were sleeping in separate bedrooms.
Prosecutors said around a month before divorce proceedings were finalised, 71-year-old David, who had been married twice before, got up before his wife and went into her room brandishing two kitchen knives.
Jurors were told that 74-year-old Linda was stabbed 15 times in total - suffering horrific injuries to her neck, chest, stomach and arms - before her estranged husband rang 999 saying “I’ve just killed the wife”.
When police arrived at the couple’s semi-detatched home in Lansdowne, Sebastopol, the defendant is said to have told an officer: “I’ve just had enough, she tried to steal two houses from me, two houses.”
He had admitted manslaughter but denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility, Wales Online reports.
However, on the second day of their deliberations jurors found him guilty of murder.
Prosecuting counsel Michael Jones QC said in his opening of the case: "By March 2020 the marriage had broken down but remained living and sleeping at the same address in different parts of the marital home in Pontypool.
“The defendant was also particularly agitated in relation to a potential financial settlement of the divorce.
"He believed he was going to significantly lose out financially compared to his wife who he was convinced had hidden money away.
"The defendant became increasingly focused on this and wholly resented his wife because she was divorcing him.”
Jurors were told that the couple first met in 1977 although didn’t become an item until 1990.
David and Linda, who had children from previous relationships, married on August 31, 2002.
However, by 2020 prosecutors said the relationship had broken down.
In the summer of that year neighbours heard the pair arguing in their back garden.
Jurors were told that Pamela Hestor, a friend of both the defendant and Linda, contacted the police on February 18 and told them about a conversation she had with Maggs a week or two before Linda’s death.
Mrs Hestor said she spoke to the defendant on the phone and asked him about the divorce proceedings. She said he responded “I feel like I could stab her”.
She said she told Maggs not to talk like that, that Linda would be dead and he would be in prison, and he should think about his family. She said he responded “I don’t care”.
Prosecuting counsel Mr Jones said early on February 6, 2021, Linda was upstairs in bed and the defendant “knew she was a late riser”.
He said: “The defendant went into the kitchen and selected two large kitchen knives, walked upstairs, entered her bedroom and whilst she was sleeping in bed repeatedly stabbed her to death.
“The defendant viciously and repeatedly stabbed her to her neck, chest, stomach and arms, the most significant being her neck, chest and stomach.
“He left her dead, still lying in bed before walking downstairs.”
The court heard a 999 call was made by David Maggs at 9.13am and told the operator “I’ve just killed the wife”.
Ten minutes later he had been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Despite admitting killing his wife, Maggs denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility, instead only admitting a charge of manslaughter.
At his trial held at Cardiff Crown Court, his defence team detailed how Maggs was suffering from depression at the time of the attack.
And a defence witness said the defendant's depression had "clouded his judgement".
However, another psychiatrist, Dr Tom Wynne, who also assessed Maggs, disagreed with that judgement.
He said: “I was not convinced he was suffering from a moderate depressive illness.
"Even if we are to accept he was suffering from a moderate depressive illness, which I question, it’s rare that such illness would lead to such an alteration and impairment of problem solving skills.
"I concluded in my opinion there is no mental health defence available to Mr Maggs.”
Sending Maggs away from the court and into custody following the verdict, Judge Fitton QC confirmed that he will sentenced for murder at a later date.
