A Tennessee man has been convicted of murder after he reportedly beat his wife to death on their honeymoon in Fiji and attempted to flee in a kayak, according to police.
A court in Fiji convicted Bradley Robert Dawson of murder on Wednesday. Dawson's wife Christe Chen Dawson was found dead in their hotel room on July 9, 2022, as reported by the Fiji Times.
Police arrested Dawson a day later. Officers reportedly found Dawson's passport on him, leading them to believe that he was going to attempt to flee the country.
A local man reportedly said that Dawson had arrived at the village he was arrested in by kayak and told him that he had gotten into an argument with his wife, as reported by the Daily Mail in 2022.
Ronald Gordon, the lawyer representing Chen's family, said that Chen had suffered multiple injuries, including blunt force trauma to the head. He told Daily Mail at the time that her body was unable to be taken back to her hometown of Memphis "due to the nature of her injuries," so she was cremated in Fiji before being flown back.
Iqbal Khan, Dawson's attorney, told the outlet in July 2022 that he thought "it looks like an accident," adding that the evidence submitted did not provide "proof" of "intention to kill or premeditation."
However, Justice Riyaz Hamza thought the evidence provided proved Dawson's guilt "beyond reasonable doubt." "Having analyzed all the evidence in its totality, I am of the opinion that the prosecution witnesses were all truthful, credible and reliable in their testimony," Hamza told the court, as reported by the Fiji Times.
Chen's family confirmed the news of Dawson's conviction to WREG Thursday.
Dawson is due back in court for his sentencing Jan. 27.
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