Man denies beating pharmacist wife to death on honeymoon and claims he had kayaked away
‘Just thinking she is not here anymore is so painful ... We were supposed to have an amazing life’
A man accused of killing his wife during their honeymoon in Fiji has denied the allegations, saying that they “never had any physical arguments”.
Speaking to ABC News from jail, Bradley Robert Dawson, 38, from Memphis, Tennessee, rejected claims that he beat his wife, Christe Chen Dawson, 36, to death while visiting a high-end resort.
Mr Dawson spoke to the broadcaster on Tuesday, saying that he left the island where they were staying, taking a kayak to a nearby isle on 8 July – the day police say that Ms Chen died. Law enforcement says the cause of death was several blunt trauma wounds to the head.
Mr Dawson, who has been charged with murder, said they were drunk during an argument.
“I just wanted to give her some space. It was normal for me to take a walk,” Mr Dawson told ABC News.
Ms Chen’s body was found the following day by a member of staff at Turtle Island Resort, which only hosts 14 couple at any one time.
The 1980 film The Blue Lagoon was filmed there.
Mr Dawson was detained after two days. He said he wasn’t informed of the death of his wife. ABC reported that the authorities claimed that Mr Dawson confessed to the killing, but stopped working with law enforcement when he hired a lawyer.
A police report states that another Turtle Island holidaymaker claimed that the couple seemed to be in good spirits on the night that the fight is alleged to have occurred, according to ABC.
The visitor added that she later could hear “loud banging sounds” from their room.
“It was as if someone was drunk and unable to control themselves inside. And then we heard a loud scream followed by a big loud bang and after that there [was] complete silence,” she told law enforcement, the report said.
According to ABC, a member of the resort staff said that they received a complaint concerning the noise from the room the couple was staying in, but the resort didn’t check the room until the following day when they didn’t show up at mealtime.
“We cooperated with the authorities during the investigation and the police left the island over a week ago,” the resort told the outlet. “It is our understanding that charges have been filed in the case. Our highest priority is the safety and concern for our guests and team, both who we value as family, and we are extremely saddened by the event. We continue to send our condolences to Ms Chen’s family, friends, and colleagues. Given the need to respect the privacy of our guests and the ongoing legal investigation, please direct all further inquiries to the authorities.”
The 38-year-old IT specialist in jail on charges for her murder told ABC that he’s “praying every day” for Ms Chen, saying that she’s “my everything”.
“What I can say is I am so sorry for the situation we are all going through now. We were supposed to have amazing holidays and I lost my wife,” he told the broadcaster.
“Just thinking she is not here anymore is so painful. I am thinking of her all the time,” he added. “We were supposed to have an amazing life.”