Man stabbed spouse 77 instances and beat her with pet food can when he found secret
Robert Alexander, 66, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years after he was convicted of the murder of his wife, nurse Christina Alexander, 60, at their home
Robert Alexander has been sentenced to life in prison(Image: Warwickshire Police)
A husband who brutally murdered his wife by stabbing her 77 times and inflicting blunt force trauma with a dog food can has been sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 20 years.
Robert Alexander, aged 66, also strangled nurse Christina Alexander at their Dosthill home in Tamworth in June last year, Stafford Crown Court heard during the sentencing hearing on Tuesday.
In June this year, after a 14-day trial, jurors unanimously found Alexander guilty of murder. The court was told that the 60-year-old victim had suffered “catastrophic” injuries to her face, neck, body, arms and legs.
Christina Alexander was brutally murdered by her husband(Image: Warwickshire Police/PA Wire)
The trial heard that Alexander informed police “I’ve disposed of my wife” following the horrific killing in his hallway and kitchen.
He later claimed in court that he could not recall what had transpired after he had been struck in the stomach and “lost the plot”.
While delivering the sentence, Judge Avik Mukherjee told Alexander that the evidence presented in the case indicated that he knew his partner was planning to leave him.
Addressing the killer, who wore a grey T-shirt and spent much of the hearing staring at the floor, the judge said: “I am sure that you intended to kill Christina due to the extent of the injuries that you inflicted upon her and also the ways in which you attacked her.”
The judge described the personal impact statements read out in court on behalf of the “most precious” victim’s siblings and friends as extremely moving.
He further stated: “The taking of a life is a terrible thing – not only because of the life which is cut short but because of all the other lives that are damaged as well.”
The judge informed Alexander, of Ascot Drive, Dosthill, that there was “no guarantee that you will be released” at the conclusion of the minimum term or at any specific time thereafter.
Christina had been subjected to a “repeated and sustained” assault, the judge said, telling Alexander: “Such was the ferocity and force of the attack that she succumbed to very serious injuries within a short period.”
The judge also determined that the murder was committed against a backdrop of controlling and coercive behaviour, particularly in relation to finances.
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