A HUSBAND was apprehended when his lover reportedly observed a tell-tale hint on CCTV while beating his estranged wife to death and staging the scene as a suicide.
Adrian Basham, 45, was convicted guilty of killing psychologist Samantha Fraser, 38, on July 23, 2018, after violently assaulting her.
After killing her in the house they shared with their three children on Phillip Island near Melbourne, Australia, he now faces life in jail.
Samantha had been pursued by the jealous thug since their 2017 breakup, and he was hellbent on financially hurting her.
He claimed, however, that the upbeat mother killed herself after they clashed because she was terribly sad.
Samantha’s dead body was discovered hanging in her garage after she forgot to pick up her children from school.
However, investigators discovered a “neat” and “complicated” knot wrapped around her neck, and a post-mortem revealed 41 blunt force injuries to her body, raising suspicions.
It was determined that the adoring mother, who had just celebrated her 38th birthday the day before, had suffered a brain damage as a result of the vicious attack.
Basham had been waiting for his estranged wife for nearly an hour, the jury heard, before pounced as she pulled into the garage.
Samantha fiercely fought back against the bully, scratching his nose and arm in the process.
Basham, a former construction worker, beat her to death before staging an elaborate scene to make it look like she committed herself.
Although there was no suicide note, prosecutors claimed that the assassin toppled over a step ladder to bolster his story.
After authorities examined CCTV from a neighbor’s home, the suspicious circumstances surrounding Samantha’s death became even more heightened.
They published the video in the hopes of identifying a hooded guy who was observed lingering about the neighbourhood on Samantha’s death day.
Basham was identified as the mystery guy by police after a lady he was dating recognised his unusual gait.
Other witnesses saw someone “running” away from the scene, according to the court, before Basham rode his motorcycle to his father’s house.
He was questioned by authorities and then freed while the investigation was carried out.
However, detectives claim that the monster tried to intimidate witnesses who were assisting officers with their investigations just days later.
On August 2, he was ultimately charged with Samantha’s murder.
According to forensic specialists, DNA profiles of three contributors were discovered on the surface of the rope knot used to hang the mother.
‘STAGED SUICIDE’
The DNA is estimated to be 100 billion times more likely to be Basham’s than that of a Caucasian individual picked at random.
More of Basham’s purported DNA was discovered under his ex-fingernails, wife’s implying that she battled him tooth and nail.
Basham’s lawyer, Ashley Halphen, said to the jury that his client attacked Ms Fraser on the day she died, but that he did not murder her.
The claim that Samantha ascended the ladder and carefully tied a knot behind her head after being physically beaten was dismissed by prosecutors as “total garbage.”
“This was a manufactured suicide by the accused, with the wonderful touch of the knocked down step ladder, right near to the hanging body,” Nanette Rogers SC stated.
“This was not a suicide. Samantha Fraser did not kill herself after being assaulted so extensively by the accused.
“She fought desperately for her life.
“There was deep bruising to her hands and wrists, consistent with being restrained and she managed to scratch his nose and arm.”
