Thursday 1 September 2022 01:16 AM Newlywed husband accused of murdering pharmacist wife in Fiji pleads NOT guilty trends now
The newlywed husband accused of murdering his pharmacist wife in their luxury bungalow on a private island in Fiji has pleaded not guilty.
Bradly Dawson, 39, from Tennessee, appeared in the High Court in Lautoka over the killing of Christe Chen, 36, on July 9 to deny the charges on Wednesday.
His lawyers also claimed he never confessed to the attack - despite police's claims - and called for him to be granted bail.
They claimed Fijian law favored bail and argued the court should not use the seriousness of the charge to decide if he should be sprung before trial.
Dawson allegedly battered Chen to death in the secluded $3,500-a-night Turtle Island Resort bedroom just two days after they checked in.
A medical examiner ruled the death a murder and found she suffered a traumatic brain injury caused by a brain bleed, severe traumatic head injuries and multiple traumatic injuries to her body.
Her cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head but her body was so badly injured she was not able to be embalmed.
The newlywed husband accused of murdering his pharmacist wife in their luxury bungalow on a private island in Fiji has pleaded not guilty
Bradly Dawson, 39, from Tennessee, appeared in the High Court in Lautoka over the killing of Christe Chen, 36, on July 9 to deny the charges on Wednesday
His lawyers also claimed he never confessed to the attack - despite police's claims - and called for him to be granted bail
Dawson indicated on Wednesday morning in the court in Fiji he would plead not guilty to murder.
Defense lawyer Iqbal Khan also argued before Judge Riyaz Hamza his client had not confessed to the murder allegations.
The bail hearing is ongoing as State counsel Alvin Singh reminded the court domestic violence situation forces Fijian court to not favor bail.
Meanwhile Dawson has asked the court through his lawyers to be released into the home and care of fellow US citizen John Beiger.
Beiger, a pastor who has a home in Legalega has lived in Fiji since 2011. He faces at least three counts of rape and had spent two weeks in Natabua Remand Centre.
Earlier in proceedings, the lawyers argued over whether Chen's family lawyer could appear on her behalf to ensure justice was served.
According to the summary of facts drawn up by police, Dawson initially confessed to the offence but remained silent after he sought legal advice.
A post mortem examination conducted on Ms Chen confirmed she died from traumatic brain injury as a result of severe traumatic head injuries which were caused by blunt force trauma to the head. She also suffered multiple other traumatic injuries to the rest of her body.
Police documents record that Ms Chen was found motionless on the floor of the toilet in their bure by their concierge or House Mama.
Witnesses at the resort said the couple had been part of a social event on July 9 where guests and staff interacted over Kava and cocktails.
Around midnight they said they saw them return to the hotel and heard loud sounds that sounded like 'someone was drunk and unable to control themselves.'
Moments later the witnesses heard 'a loud scream, a big loud bang and silence.'
Bradley was apprehended from Matacawa Levu Island on July 11, opposite Turtle Island Resort where he is reported to have left via Kayak after his wife's death.
Dawson and Chen married in February after a whirlwind romance, three months after they first met, and her parents had paid for the honeymoon.
The night Chen died, she and Dawson had attended a party - dubbed 'family fun night' - with island staff and other guests on the beach where both were 'very drunk'. Witnesses exclusively told DailyMail.com that tensions arose between the couple when Dawson started acting inappropriately with someone else at the party.
'They were enjoying themselves and drinking quite a lot but towards the end they looked troubled,' the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.
It's understood the couple then left the party and their argument continued on the beach before they headed back to their private bungalow about midnight, where the fight continued.
'Not long after that, guests in the bungalow next door said they heard arguing, a loud scream, and then silence,' a source told DailyMail.com.
DailyMail.com revealed that Chen was found bloodied on the bathroom floor by a personal butler around midday. She had suffered multiple traumatic injuries to her body and shoulders, lacerations to her face and blunt force trauma to the head, according to a post-mortem exam report.
A source told DailyMail.com that the lid of the toilet's cistern was cracked and broken. The couple's personal butler found her body squashed and slumped between the tiny space between the toilet and the wall, badly beaten and covered in blood, according to sources.
A lawyer for Chen's family, Ronald Gordon, told DailyMail.com that her body was so badly beaten that she was unable to be embalmed and her parents had to cremate her before bringing her ashes back to the United States. He added that she suffered such deep lacerations to both sides of her head, near her eyes, that the embalming fluid would have leaked.
On the night Chen was killed, Dawson was seen walking the length of Turtle Island in the early hours of the morning by the night watchman, before he went back toward the private bungalow.
Dawson left his GPS watch and mobile
