Australia - Frances Crawford 49, found dead after suspicious lawn mower accident in Queensland.

  • #961

9News

Court hears how woman dead near lawnmower could have died​

A court has heard that a woman's death was staged to look like a lawnmower accident and she could have actually died another way.
 
  • #962

'Quick google' weakens mower murder case, court told​


May be behind a paywall. Posting it here for those who subscribe.
 
  • #963

Brisbane Times

Alleged lawnmower victim may have been dead for some time, court told​

 
  • #964
dbm
 
  • #965
Back in court again today…..


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  • #966
  • #967
  • #968
Having worked in ER, an embankment suggests to me perhaps it trapped her underwater (although it is not mentioned). But also these mowers are meant for level terrain. They are a terrible risk on slopes.
Another thought: Intoxicated persons will sometimes travel on mowers if they aren't allowed to drive or don't have vehicle access. This would explain her being out at 3am on a mower - maybe she wasn't mowing at all?
MOO and all
An embankment doesn't necessarily involve water or a river or lake edge. From the pics it looks like the lawns are expansive and there are no fences at the edges. Often to achieve the no fences look there are banks, terraces, ha has 'A ha-ha is a type of sunken fence that was commonly used in landscaped gardens and parks in the 18th century. The point of the ha-ha was to give the viewer of the garden the illusion of an unbroken, continuous rolling lawn, whilst providing boundaries for grazing livestock'. The banks/embakments often have a drop to a path or area below. Slopes or ha has would scare the bejesus out of me mowing them and even more so on a ride-on ........
 
  • #969
I think this might be the property (circled in red), judging by what Google maps is showing. It is down a very long dirt driveway.

The lawn doesn't appear to be on any embankments. It is very scrubby land around there, not a heck of a lot of lawn to be mowing at 3am.

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Link

I got the address from this 7News video. 7News Toowoomba
I can see where a possible embankment may be and that is on the RHS of the picture. Embankments don't necessarily involve water.
 
  • #970
"I am separated from my wife, divorce coming soon"? (When perhaps no divorce proceedings had been undertaken)

"I am a widow, and own a property in Upper Lockyer, Qld"?

Maybe .... imo
Or even the old standard "my wife doesn't understand me'.....
 
  • #971

Former RAAF pilot Robert John Crawford appears in court, charged with murder of wife Frances Crawford​


During the hearing, Mr Crawford's barrister Saul Holt KC questioned Dr Andrezej Kedziora, the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on Ms Crawford.

In a bail application in April, the Supreme Court in Brisbane heard the prosecution would allege Mr Crawford strangled his wife in a "murderous rage" and then manipulated her body so it appeared she died in an accident.

He is yet to enter any pleas but is contesting the charges.

Mr Holt told the court he would not be making a "no case" submission when the matter resumes on Thursday morning.
 
  • #972
Two years difference is probably less important, especially if a woman is popular and sure of herself. I see them being the couple where Frances was the quieter one. With her job, her three kids and her community activity, she probably satisfied her need for social interactions outside of the house. I suspect that their house was rather quiet and solitary. RC, on the opposite end, was gregarious and, JMO, would prefer to have more guests, parties, friends coming in. He also appears like a very high-energy person, somewhat exhausting, if I could make a guess. I wonder if it was not only his love of women but his overall high extraversion that fueled these trips. Francis might be tired of him constantly being in-your-face and feeling relaxed when he'd leave - even before true problems would start.
Nothing of it seems to be indicative of a murder or even DV, of course. Simply, while Frances was self-reliant and self-sufficient and probably, the type of a person who, when bored, would easily find a new hobby, her husband seemingly needed the whole world to constantly validate his existence. JMO, MOO, of course.
As the wife of an exserviceman (RNZN) the times when he got back from leave were always the most difficult. Leaves were long, 6 weeks or more, civvy street jobs did not have anything like that length of time. We always made it through the first weeks and then all was well. But for Frances, the thought of having to spend every day with a husband that you did not mind being away or where you had got used to life without him may have been hard once he retired. This is especially so if he was prone to infidelity. The idea of having this character 'trait' happening in your own community may have been a bridge too far for Frances. I can see why. I can see that she may have dreaded him 'home' full time and therefore having his possible infidelities in her face day after day. I can see why she may have wanted a divorce.
 
  • #973

Former pilot to face trial over wife's lawnmower murder​


A man accused of staging his wife's death to look like a ride-on lawnmower crash has been ordered to stand trial for her murder.

Acting Magistrate Sue Ganasan found there was sufficient evidence for Crawford to face trial on the charges of murder and interfering with a corpse.

Ms Ganasan asked Crawford if he had anything to say in response to the charges.

"Not guilty, Your Honour," he said.

Crawford's bail was continued.
 
  • #974
Be interesting to know what the tipping point was about. She already knew he was a wanderer, had been for 10 years ... I suspect that money was the tipping point for him.... she might have laid it out for him how much his removal was going to cost him.. That usually gets women murdered.. in that sense , the pocket screams louder than anything else..
I think you are correct. I suspect there was a point before money became the tipping point. That was with him possibly being at home full time. While Frances might have been able to cope with him 'playing away' while he was posted overseas/around Aus she may not have wanted to cope with this while he was at home full time.
 
  • #975
A man accused of staging his wife's death to look like a ride-on lawnmower crash has been ordered to stand trial for her murder.

Robert John Crawford, 47, has been accused of strangling his wife in a "murderous rage" before her body was discovered west of Brisbane.

Frances Elizabeth Crawford was found dead near the ride-on mower at the base of a retaining wall at a rural Upper Lockyer property in July 2024.


 

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