Accused wife killer claims couple snuggled, read Bible before alleged murder

Updated November 10, 2026 — 4:56pm,first published 4:00pmA pilot told police he and his wife had shared dinner, read the Bible together, and played games in the hours before he found her lying unresponsive under a mower, in what prosecutors claim was staged to look like an accidental rollover.Former Royal Australian Air Force pilot Robert Crawford allegedly killed his wife, who was found near a ride-on lawnmower at the bottom of a retaining wall at the couple’s sprawling property in rural south-east Queensland in 2024.Robert Crawford (second from right) is accused of murdering his wife.AAPIMAGEFrances’ death came just days after the couple’s last session with a psychotherapist, who gave evidence on Monday that Frances was working on an “exit plan” to leave the marriage.The prosecution has described Crawford as a “love rat”, a womaniser and a master manipulator, who had a string of extramarital affairs with at least 10 women over a decade, including three air force colleagues.Crawford allegedly killed his wife so he would not lose millions of dollars in a divorce.He has pleaded not guilty, with his defence team telling the jury the death was a tragic accident, and Crawford believed his wife died while moving the mower because the sprinklers were going to come on.In Crawford’s police statement, which was read to the court, he detailed the hours leading up to his discovery of his wife under the mower.He said when he arrived home that night, Frances was making curry for dinner, and he had given her a “big hug”.“I remember sneaking some of the uncooked veggies and eating them while she was preparing the food. She had a bit of a go about it at me in a joking way,” his statement read.Crawford said he played the piano while dinner was being prepared. After dinner at about 6.30pm, the pair read the Bible together, which he said was their normal routine, before playing games.Later, they both watched TV in the living room. Crawford then went to the bedroom to better focus on some study notes he was reviewing.Robert John Crawford is seen leaving the Supreme Court in Brisbane.AAPIMAGE / Darren EnglandHe said Frances had reminded him about the mower, and “she told me she wanted me to move the mower before the automatic sprinkler system turned on”. He explained they had grey water sprinklers that turned on at random times. He said the area where he had earlier parked the mower outside the house was where the sprinklers operated, the court heard.He told police he last saw his wife alive about 9.45pm.“We were just snuggling on the couch sharing a heated blanket,” he said.When Crawford later discovered Frances was not in bed, he told police he checked the property for her.He said he saw the lawnmower catcher sitting in the backyard, but initially did not notice the mower was missing.“When I looked over the rock wall ledge, I saw the shadow of the mower down the embankment lying on its side. I could see legs sticking out from underneath the mower and realised that it was Frances.“I remember that her legs were somewhat parallel to the rock ledge.”Crawford told police he immediately climbed down and tried to get a response from her.Frances Crawford, whose death followed years of extramarital affairs by her husband, the court has heard.“Frances was lying on her back and I could see that the front engine part of the mower was on top of her side hip area. I tried to pull her out, but she was pinned underneath. I tried lifting the mower up off her.”He said the engine was not running and appeared cold. The court earlier heard Crawford called Triple Zero at 3.37am.The court heard Crawford had told his psychologist, Julie Salter, that he and Frances ran at different paces, that he felt the relationship was detached, and that he did not have a voice.He told Salter about his infidelity dating back to 2004, which he described as an emotional affair.During the sessions, he described his wife as angry and making hateful comments, and said that at times, she had blocked him on her devices when they had breaks.He talked of his interests being poetry, surfing, playing piano, and motorbike riding, while Frances preferred watching TV and reading.Salter said Crawford had said he had dreams of being an astronaut or a politician when he was younger, and Frances had told him he suffered delusions of grandeur.Frances’ solicitor, Meagan Murrell, earlier told the court Frances had contacted her on July 14, 2023, to discuss “possible divorce settlement issues”. In the message, Frances wrote she had “just separated yesterday”.In messages sent in the following days, Frances detailed how Crawford had taken “$6000 out of our funds to pay lawyer and left me with $150”.The jury was shown a series of messages between Frances and Murrell in which Frances went back and forth about the separation. On July 22, she wrote: “Can you please go ahead with financial separation. I need to get out of this relationship.”The court heard Murrell had discussed the couple’s assets. She said the primary factor in the split would have been the significant income-earning disparity, according to Murrell, given Frances’ part-time wage and Crawford’s consistent employment with the RAAF.She said this led her to believe Frances would “receive more than 50 per cent” in the split.She said Frances was concerned about finances, and that Crawford would pull money out of the accounts.Senior Sergeant Stephen Coote, from the Forensic Crash Unit within the Queensland Police Service, earlier told the court the scene was regarded as suspicious when he arrived at the property.The jury was shown a series of photos of the mower overturned on its side, with the wheel turned to the right. Coote said it was his preliminary opinion that the mower went over the wall in reverse, before tipping.Coote, who had done almost 400 crash investigations, said this probe was not as hands on, and things would have been done differently if it was a standard crash. He said he did not want to affect the scene.He said the mower weighed about 220 kilograms, and it moved at 1.54 kilometres an hour in reverse with the throttle about halfway, as it was found by police.Under cross-examination by defence barrister Saul Holt KC, Coote was asked whether there was ever a dummy test to reconstruct the scene. Coote said no, explaining there would be issues, including safety and damage to the mower.Coote was grilled by Holt over scratch marks on the top of the retaining wall, and whether he contemplated alternative scenarios. Holt put to Coote that he did not take into account the prospect that the mower was on a turning circle and tipped off the ledge.Coote said it would be inconsistent with the evidence he observed.Holt put to Coote that if the mower was in reverse and one of the wheels went over the edge, it did not matter how fast it was going, it would still fall. Coote confirmed that it would.The trial before Justice Lincoln Crowley continues.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.Cloe Read is the crime and court reporter at Brisbane Times.Connect via X or email.From our partners