A Victorian man accused of staging his wife's death as suicide after viciously attacking her has been found guilty of murder.
WARNING: This story contains details that will be distressing to some readers.
Adrian Basham, 45, now faces the prospect of life in prison after a Supreme Court jury rejected his claims that after brutally bashing Samantha Fraser at the home they once shared at Cowes on Phillip Island, she took her own life because she had been severely depressed.
It took jury members less than two days to deliver their unanimous verdict.
In July 2018, police discovered Ms Fraser's body hanging in her garage at her home on Seagrove Way after she failed to pick up her children from school.
She had turned 38 the previous day.
A 'cold and brutal murder,' says prosecutor
Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC told the jury that Basham lay in wait for his estranged wife for more than an hour, and attacked her after she drove into the garage.
A post-mortem revealed that Ms Fraser had 41 blunt force injuries to her body.
Ms Rogers told the jury the suggestion that Ms Fraser had tied a "neat" and "complex" knot behind her own head after being violently assaulted was "absolute rubbish".
"This was a staged suicide by the accused with the nice touch of the knocked over step ladder, very close to the hanging body," Ms Rogers said.
"This was not a suicide. Samantha Fraser did not kill herself after being assaulted so extensively by the accused.
She told the court that after killing his estranged wife, Basham was seen "running" from the scene.
Investigators later found the killer's DNA under Ms Fraser's fingernails.
"That's consistent with Samantha Fraser fighting back with the accused when he was assaulting her," Ms Rogers said.
"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."
Perpetrator's behaviour 'controlling and abusive'
During the trial, which heard from 79 witnesses, the jury was told that Basham was "controlling and abusive" during the couple's marriage and after their separation.
The Supreme Court was also told that Basham had threatened Ms Fraser and that she was scared of him.
On one occasion, Basham threatened his wife, telling her: "You never know when someone will break into your house and do you harm."
Basham will face a pre-sentence hearing in September.
Friend describes 'beautiful, kind-hearted, gentle soul'
Lija Matthews, a friend of Ms Fraser's, said she was relieved by the verdict.
"We've known for 1,368 days that he was guilty," she said.
"It's never enough, but we're happy that the jury has seen the truth."
She described Ms Fraser as "the most beautiful, kind-hearted, gentle soul" who "was always there for everyone".
"Her love for her children was beyond belief," she said.
The Phillip Island community started a foundation called Change for Sam after Ms Fraser's death, which aims to tackle gendered violence in the region through both prevention and support for those affected.
"Change for Sam wants to make it a safer place for people to know where to go to get help, where they know that they will be heard, and to ask any questions that they need to ask," Ms Matthews said.
"We're hoping that our foundation can help a lot of people."
