Vic: Accused discussed various ways of killing wife, court hears

AAP General News (Australia)
08-22-2006
Vic: Accused discussed various ways of killing wife, court hears

MELBOURNE, Aug 22 AAP - A Melbourne pharmacist had discussed killing his wife by pushing
her from a Gold Coast high-rise apartment or staging a hit-run accident before settling
on a plan to drop a car on her, a Supreme Court jury heard today.

Ronald William Crawford allegedly paid a hitman $10,000 to kill his wife Anne in 1988
after she threatened to divorce him.

The court heard Crawford had wanted sole custody of his children and a financial benefit
from her death.

It also heard he had conducted three extra-marital affairs in the years leading up
to his wife's murder.

The hitman, whose identity has been suppressed and is referred to in court as PS, said
he'd had several conversations with Mr Crawford about killing his wife.

He told the court Mr Crawford devised a plan to place Mrs Crawford under her car while
it was jacked up and for the vehicle to then be bumped off the jack and onto her head.

PS said he went to the Crawford home in Strathmore Heights, forced his way into the
lounge room and knocked Mrs Crawford out with a punch to the jaw.

He then took her outside and placed her head under the car.

"The intention was to push the car off the jack ... to crush her head," PS told the court.

"That's what I was being paid to do.

"The car came off ... squashed her head.

"Once the pool of blood came, I left."

The original police investigation into the incident came to the conclusion the death
was an accident that occurred while Mrs Crawford was changing a wheel.

But a new investigation resulted in PS and Crawford being charged.

PS is serving a prison sentence after pleading guilty to Mrs Crawford's murder.

The murder trial before Justice Tim Smith continues.

AAP mh/gfr/goc/ks/sd

KEYWORD: CRAWFORD

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