A Tennessee man who murdered his newlywed wife on their Fiji honeymoon was confronted by his in-laws as he was sentenced to life behind bars for her death.
Memphis resident Bradley Dawson, 41, was arrested in July 2022 after his wife Christe Chen Dawson, 36, was found dead in their private cabana on the Pacific Island nation.
On Thursday, the High Court in Lautoka handed down his life sentence, with Judge Riyaz Hamza writing her death caused ‘much pain and sorrow’ for her family.
Christe’s mother, Xiao Wei Liu, addressed Dawson in an impact statement, seen by Fox.
She said: ‘No mother should have to know this is how her daughter’s life ended, and by the hands of the very person who took a vow to love, honor and cherish her.
‘I can only hope that the rest of your life is filled with misery, loneliness and despair.’
Her father, Tao Chen, added that his daughter had been ‘the center’ of his family and their lives.
Chen said: ‘She was my only child, my little girl, and my reason for living. Each day since her death has been a struggle to find meaning in a life that now feels empty.’
On Thursday, the High Court in Lautoka handed down his life sentence, with Judge Riyaz Hamza writing her death caused ‘much pain and sorrow’ for her family
Her body was so badly beaten that she was unable to be embalmed and her parents had to cremate her before bringing her ashes back to the United States
The killing happened after the newlyweds had an argument after she caught him ‘inappropriately dancing’ with another person at a party.
The next day, her badly beaten body was found squashed and slumped next to the toilet inside their $3,500-a-night Turtle Island Resort suite.
After the couple failed to appear at both breakfast and lunch, a housekeeper was asked to check on them.
Dawson was arrested at Matacawalevu Village with his passport and personal belongings.
He had always maintained that his wife’s death was an accident.
Her body was so badly beaten that she was unable to be embalmed and her parents had to cremate her before bringing her ashes back to the United States.
She suffered such deep lacerations to both sides of her head, near her eyes, that the embalming fluid would have leaked.
When hotel worker Tomasi Mawi found her in the bathroom, she was covered in blood and broken glass, with one arm caught in a water tank.
An autopsy recorded her death as homicide by traumatic brain injury
The couple, who met in November 2021, married three months later after a whirlwind romance. Chen had previously been engaged, sources revealed.
The couple, who met in November 2021, married three months later after a whirlwind romance
The 36-year-old was found squashed and slumped in between a tiny space next to the toilet and the wall, inside the suite, seen here
She was Dawson’s second wife. He’d married his first in Fiji in September 2019, according to a wedding registry. It’s unclear when he separated from his first wife.
Chen was found dead just two days after they checked into the elite private resort, which her parents – who were regulars there – had paid for.
The night Chen died, she and Dawson had attended a party – dubbed ‘family fun night’ – with island staff and other guests on the beach where both were ‘very drunk.’
Witnesses told the DailyMail.com that tensions arose between the couple when Dawson started acting inappropriately with someone else at the party.
‘They were enjoying themselves and drinking quite a lot but towards the end they looked troubled,’ the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.
It’s understood the couple then left the party, and their argument continued on the beach before they headed back to their private bungalow about midnight, where the fight continued.
Dawson vanished after Chen’s body was discovered by hotel staff.
‘Not long after that, guests in the bungalow next door said they heard arguing, a loud scream, and then silence,’ a source told DailyMail.com. .
Chen’s parents arrived in Fiji days later after being informed of her death by the State Department in a midnight phone call.
It’s understood they also viewed her badly battered body in the Lautoka morgue before she was cremated.
Chen worked as a pharmacist at Kroger while Dawson worked as an IT professional for Youth Villages, a non-profit which helps children.
She had previously worked as a baker in Colorado before moving to Tennessee to pursue studying pharmacy.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .