A university lecturer who stabbed his wife to death in their Melbourne home after an argument over their child's kindergarten has been jailed for 24 years.
Adam Brown, 41, will spend at least 17 years in prison for murdering Chen Cheng in April 2022, a crime described by the sentencing judge as "morally abhorrent" and "reprehensible".
Brown stabbed Ms Chen, 35, multiple times in their Croydon North home during an altercation that left their home and garden smeared with blood.
Supreme Court Justice John Champion said evidence suggested Brown, a lecturer in media and gender studies at Deakin University, was suffering from adjustment disorder and depression at the time, which contributed "directly and powerfully" to his murderous actions.
Psychiatric evaluations found Brown was deeply traumatised, bereaved, confused and overwhelmed by the circumstances surrounding his wife's murder, Justice Champion said.
However, Justice Champion said Brown could have put the knife down at any time and de-escalated the situation.
"It is clear you had an opportunity to stop, put the knife down and walk away from the argument. Instead you engaged in what you knew to be morally abhorrent behaviour," Justice Champion said.
"Ms Cheng fought for her life against your attack on her and doubtless she was terrified by what was occurring. There is no excuse for what you did.
"You must be justly punished for your offence. Your actions have deprived your wife's family of a beloved daughter, niece and cousin ... you have permanently impacted the lives of so many people, not least your own child.
"Adjustment disorders are an enormously common phenomenon and not everyone who has one goes on to stab another person to death.
"In my opinion this impairment did not lead you to commit this act. I accept it would likely not have occurred, but this is a quite distinct proposition that this somehow caused or explains such reprehensible violence.
"It does not."
Mother spoke to 'beautiful daughter' the night of her death
Justice Champion read from a victim impact statement by Ms Cheng's mother, Liu Min, which described her daughter's death as "like a spear piercing her heart".
"She is afraid of going out and seeing relatives and friends, she couldn't believe her beautiful daughter was murdered in what should have been the safest place: her home," Justice Champion said.
The couple had endured a tumultuous period, including the traumatic birth of their child, Ms Cheng suffering from mental illness, Brown's insecure employment, the death of his brother and resulting frequent arguments between the two of them.
While visiting from China, Ms Cheng's mother, Ms Min, witnessed the arguments and came to believe her daughter was in an unhappy marriage. As a result, she stayed in daily contact with her daughter after she returned to China.
Mother and daughter spoke on the evening of Ms Cheng's murder, but, Justice Champion said, nothing seemed out of the ordinary during this conversation.
Some time later in the evening, Ms Cheng and Brown began to argue about their two-year-old son's kindergarten arrangements. Brown claimed that Ms Cheng spat in his face, hit him around the ears and then attacked him with a knife.
He claimed he defended himself during the fight, which began upstairs at their home, before spilling downstairs into the kitchen, then out into the back garden.
Neighbours heard Ms Cheng screaming and congregated outside the couple's house, before Brown eventually let them in through the garage door, telling them that Ms Cheng had attacked him and that they had stabbed each other.
The neighbours found Ms Cheng's body in the back garden and unsuccessfully performed CPR on her.
However, Justice Champion noted Ms Cheng's comparatively small size, the defensive knife wounds on her hands and Brown's comparatively light injuries, and questioned Brown's description of a struggle over a knife.
"I accept an argument took place, but do not conclude Ms Cheng initially attacked you," Justice Champion said.
"You were therefore not defending yourself, nor do I conclude you were fearing for your life. Ms Cheng fought for her life."
Justice Champion noted Brown's early plea of guilty, unlikelihood of re-offending, previous good character, no prior convictions and the ongoing impact on his mental health, which will potentially make his term of imprisonment more onerous.
Both the prosecution and defence submitted that the murder was in the mid-range of offending, and Justice Champion said that if Brown had not pleaded guilty, the maximum sentence would have been 29 years.
