Bradley Robert Dawson, 40, from Tennessee, has been convicted of murdering his wife, Christe Chen, during their honeymoon at a luxury resort in Fiji in July 2022.
The conviction came after a weeklong trial at Lautoka High Court, where Justice Riyaz Hamza found Dawson guilty of the brutal killing.
Dawson had claimed that he left his wife to “cool down” after an argument by taking a kayak to a nearby island.
However, the prosecution argued that Dawson was planning to flee the country, as he was apprehended with his passport and belongings the day after the murder.
The judge rejected Dawson’s defense, stating the evidence was overwhelmingly against him.
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The couple, who had married in February 2022, were staying at the Turtle Island Resort, a famous luxury location where the movie The Blue Lagoon was filmed.
On July 9, two days after their arrival, a housekeeper discovered Chen’s lifeless body in their hotel room, with severe injuries to her head.
Dawson was later found in a nearby village, where he allegedly confessed to the crime.
Despite his lawyer’s claims of innocence, Dawson maintained he had never had any physical altercations with his wife.
Before the trial, Dawson had described Chen as his “everything.”
