John Bowie is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison after he was sentenced to 24 years with a non-parole period of 18 years for the murder of his first wife, Roxlyn.
But the trial conclusion, described outside court by the couple's only daughter as "justice for my Mum", still leaves a grim, unanswered question: where are Roxlyn Bowie's remains?
NSW Supreme Court Justice Dina Yehia on Friday said she found Bowie entirely without remorse and was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that he was motivated to kill his wife to have "an unfettered relationship" with another woman.
However, Justice Yehia said any pre-meditated planning by Bowie was not "extensive or sophisticated."
A jury found the 72-year-old guilty of Roxlyn Bowie's murder in October last year after just four-and-a-half hours of deliberation.
The mother of two disappeared 40 years ago from the couple’s Walgett home in the state’s north-west. Her body has never been found.
Justice but 'not closure'
Outside court, Brenda Boyd, the daughter of Roxlyn and Bowie said it was a "bittersweet" outcome and the judge was "very fair" in explaining her sentencing.
“It's justice for my mum,” she said.
"Not closure for me because I still don't know what happened or where her remains are, but it's definitely justice."
Ms Boyd said she doesn’t hold out much hope her father, "knowing the man that he is", will reveal how her mother died or her location.
"But you never know,” she told reporters.
Retired NSW Police detective Russell Oxford, involved in the case for 34 years, said it was "satisfying but somewhat hollow".
He said the case was only ever about finding Roxlyn.
"Brenda is the last one left in the family — she's lost everybody," he said.
"She lost her childhood, she went to 16, 17 schools.
"She had to live with John, the killer of her mum.
"I think he got his just desserts today."
'Dear John' letter part of ruse
The judge said Ms Bowie was a loving and devoted mother and she had been "forced or coerced to write two letters" that claimed she was leaving her husband and children "for good".
The "Dear John" letter was found at the couple’s home, while a second letter was sent to her parents in Sydney.
Justice Yehia described the letters as “part of the ruse that she had simply left the family home in search of a better life".
As Brenda Boyd hugged family and supporters when the sentence was handed down, Bowie sat with his arms crossed.
The judge said no jail term of any length could return a loved one and that the sentence could not measure the value of Roxlyn Bowie’s life.
She acknowledged the first date he would be eligible for parole would be October 4, 2037.
"The reality is, he may die in custody," she said.
