Prosecutors allege that Leslie Winnister, 68, murdered his wife Suzanne, 66 after she sent a text message with a kiss to their handyman.
When he was caught while still wearing bloodstained clothing, he informed the officers, “I’ve had a bad day.”
Family members discovered Mrs Winnister dead at the couple’s £1.6 million house in the London borough of Bexley. She had sustained severe head and neck injuries.
The murderer has been pleaded guilty
Her spouse was discovered in a neighboring cemetery after exiting a bar.
This Monday, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter based on diminished culpability but denied murder. The prosecution accepted the plea.
The prosecutor, Bill Emlyn-Jones, told the court that the pair had been married for over 40 years and were “happy.”
However, beginning in 2019, their relationship “markedly deteriorated,” he added.
“It’s possible that Mrs. Winnister sent a text message to the defendant by accident,” he stated.
“It may have been intended for Mr Alan Mainwaring, also known as Alfie, the Winnisters’ handyman.
“It said, ‘Are you coming today?’ followed by an x, which signified a kiss.”
The court heard that Winnister questioned his wife about it, and she said that she signed off texts to everyone in this manner. It is said, however, that he became sure she was having an affair.
And when Mr Mainwaring next visited their residence, the defendant accosted him, claiming that Mrs Winnister was attempting to murder him, according to the evidence.
Before fleeing, he threatened the handyman with a crowbar and shattered windows. Police were unable to file charges because Mr Mainwaring refused to testify.
After his wife requested that he depart, Winnister moved into a Holiday Inn. Mrs Winnister nevertheless reluctantly let her husband return home after observing that he had lost weight and was unwell.
Two days later, he murdered her by beating her. The court heard that her family, concerned for her welfare after being unable to reach her, discovered her lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen.
The cleaver used to execute the victim lay close to her body.
Leslie Winnister Cause of death
In addition, he had sliced her throat with a knife.
The tragedy occurred six days after Winnister was evaluated by a nurse who scheduled a follow-up appointment one week following his wife’s death.
In court, the victim’s relatives described their anguish.
Sister Jackie Higgins described the moment she had to inform her 92-year-old mother of the news.
“I will never forget informing my mother that her daughter died in such tragic circumstances at the hands of a family member,” she added.
“I miss Suzanne, I miss our daily phone talks, and I am trying to accept that I will never again have a sister with whom to converse or talk on the phone.”
The events leading up to the death, according to Judge Wendy Joseph, were an “unmitigated tragedy” for the whole family.
‘It is evident that the pain caused by her passing is severe,’ “She stated,
She criticized the defendant’s mental health therapy as being “too late.”
“Not only was this man obviously unwell, but so was everyone else,” she remarked.
The defendant was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order, which means that physicians will determine whether and when he is suitable for release.
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