An ex-RAAF pilot accused of murdering his wife exchanged affectionate Signal messages with her the day before she was found dead, a Brisbane court has heard.
Robert John Crawford, 49, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Frances Elizabeth Crawford, who was found beside a ride-on lawnmower at the bottom of a retaining wall at the couple’s Upper Lockyer property, west of Toowoomba, in the early hours of July 30, 2024.
Prosecutors allege Crawford strangled his wife and staged the scene to make it appear that she had been killed when the mower toppled over the wall. They claim she was already dead, dying or unconscious by that point.
The Supreme Court trial heard that the couple had returned from a weekend away at Kingscliff on July 28. The following morning, Crawford sent his wife a message saying: “Hi babe thanks for a lovely weekend away, I loved the beach.”
He added: “And the company was good too xx”.
Frances replied: “Nice bananagrams message!!! Thankyou xx”, before Crawford later wrote: “hey franny guess what? I miss you”.
She then reminded him to arrange a polygraph test, which formed part of the conditions imposed on their marriage after they reconciled. Crawford replied: “Will do,” the court heard.
His barrister, Saul Holt KC, told jurors the messages did not support the prosecution’s case. He described the circumstantial evidence as a 1,000-piece jigsaw from which the jury had been shown only six pieces “of the wrong shape”.
Mr Holt said Frances’s death was “obviously an accident” and described the prosecution theory as “a series of half-baked ideas, not a case”.
The Crawford marriage and its strict conditions
The court heard the couple’s relationship had become strained after they separated in 2023 over Crawford’s alleged infidelity. They later reconciled and attended marriage counselling intermittently.
Prosecutor Chris Cook told the jury the marriage was effectively over by the time Frances died, with both of them wanting it to end. He described Crawford as highly successful in his professional life but alleged he had been a repeatedly unfaithful husband.
Frances had drawn up 15 boundaries and conditions for Crawford to follow if he wanted to remain in the marriage. They included regular polygraph tests, attending church and producing receipts for spending over $30, including on food and groceries.
He was also required to avoid “unnecessary chitchat or interactions with females” and allow Frances access to his phone. Pornography, masturbation and sexual or emotional affairs were listed as “deal breakers”.
The agreement stated: “If you make a mistake, you must attempt to repair and redeem yourself in no longer than 24 hours.” Breaching the rules could result in household chores, the court heard.
Mr Cook said Crawford had signed up to the “intense” arrangements. He also alleged that Crawford had told a lover he could defeat the polygraph tests.
A few days before her death, Frances told her sister she wished Crawford would die in a car crash because she was tired of dealing with his alleged infidelities and emotional abuse, the jury heard.
Prosecutors also allege Crawford had a financial motive. He had planned to retire at 50, while the couple’s property was conservatively valued at $2 million and Crawford was the sole beneficiary of Frances’s will.
Mr Cook told the court that a further $873,000 in life insurance would have brought the potential benefit to Crawford to about $5.4 million. He alleged that a costly divorce settlement would otherwise have forced Crawford back to work.
The trial, being heard before Justice Lincoln Crowley, continues.
