FIJI - Christe Chen Dawson, 39, Memphis Pharmacist murdered on honeymoon, Yasawa Islands, 9 July 2022 ** Husband Arrest**

[vls12345]

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11036341/Newlywed-Memphis-pharmacist-beaten-death-luxury-Fiji-resort.html

He may have been drunk but he was sober enough to try to escape/hide. And to know even 36 hours later that he needed to call the police (at least according to the article).

MOO.

 

[Seattle1]

EXCLUSIVE: Newlywed was beaten to death at luxury Fiji resort

Christe Jion Chen, 39, was found dead on July 9 at the secluded $3,500-a-night Turtle Island Resort in the Yasaw group of islands. Her husband, Bradley Dawson, 38, is charged with murder.

www.dailymail.co.uk

7/21/22

• Christe Jion Chen was found beaten to death in the bathroom of a bungalow at the secluded $3,500-a-night Turtle Island Resort in the Yasawa group of islands, DailyMail.com can reveal
• She had suffered multiple traumatic injuries to her body, and blunt force trauma to the head, according to a post-mortem exam report viewed by DailyMail.com
• Chen and her husband, Bradley Robert Dawson - who she married in February - had only checked into the resort two days earlier
• On the day Chen was found dead, Dawson was nowhere to be found
• A local man discovered him on Sunday, July 10 on a nearby island 1.2 miles away - at that point, he'd been gone from the exclusive resort for 36 hours
• Dawson was arrested and is set to reappear in court on July 27. His lawyers said that he denies the charges

 

[Seattle1]

7/21/22 updated link

'We treated him [Dawson] like family, there was nothing alarming about him but when he kept asking for the police, we were a little afraid,' Ratulele said.

'He didn't tell us he had killed his wife but I could still smell alcohol on him. He continued to repeat that 'we had a fight' and offered no start or end to that story, just kept saying 'we had a fight'.'

A team of three police officers soon arrived on Matacawalevu Island to take Dawson back to Turtle Island and then to Lautoka on Fiji's main island Viti Levu, where he was charged with murder.

Representatives for Turtle Island Resort confirmed the incident in a statement to DailyMail.com, saying: 'We can confirm that an incident took place between a couple at the Island on July 9th, which has resulted in a tragic outcome and charges being laid.

'We cooperated fully with the police who conducted a thorough investigation and have now left the Island.

[..]

The tropical island the resort is located on hosts at least one honeymoon pair per week, and only 14 couples can stay at the island at a time. When guests arrive at Fiji they board a small seaplane for a short flight to the private Turtle Beach.

The 200-hectare island, dotted with 14 villas separated by lush vegetation and oceanfront views, is a peaceful and private oasis and its 12 private beaches are among the top attractions.

The resort costs a staggering $2,400 to $3,500 -a-night, a booking agent with the resort told DailyMail.com.

EXCLUSIVE: Newlywed was beaten to death at luxury Fiji resort

Christe Jion Chen, 39, was found dead on July 9 at the secluded $3,500-a-night Turtle Island Resort in the Yasaw group of islands. Her husband, Bradley Dawson, 38, is charged with murder.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Reportedly, Chen was an only child that often traveled with her mom on extravagant trips and posted pictures of them on social media. I wonder if she'd been to Fiji before and wanted to share the islands with her husband?

Also, she was found in the afternoon in by the butler (in the bathroom) after previously not answering at breakfast. If only 14 couples/villas, perhaps this explains why nobody heard Christie's cries.

So sorry for her mum, family, and friends.

Ghastly.

 

[Seattle1]

If anybody finds the couple's social media accounts, please post the links. Thank you.

 

[Erutan]

If anybody finds the couple's social media accounts, please post the links. Thank you.

This link mentions a Linked In profile ?

Tennessee man accused of killing his new wife while on vacation in Fiji

Christe Chen and Bradley Dawson married earlier this year and were vacationing in the South Pacific when her body was found at Turtle Island Resort.

www.nbcnews.com

"Dawson worked as an IT specialist for Youth Villages, a "private, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children with emotional and behavioral problems and their families live successfully," according to the Memphis, Tennessee-based organization.

“He has been suspended pending further information. Ms. Chen was his wife and our condolences go out to her family,” Youth Villages assistant direct for communications Connie Mills said in a statement.

Chen had been a pastry chef before going back to school to become a pharmacist. She's worked in that capacity at a Kroger supermarket in Memphis for the past 3 1/2 years, her LinkedIn profile showed."


Not very familiar with social media outside of FB.
Do you have to make a profile to search LI ?
I haven't found his or her FB pages either.


Here's another link with pics.

Photo shows smitten newlyweds months before alleged honeymoon murder

Christe Chen, 36, and Bradley Robert Dawson, 38, tied the knot in February – when the pair appeared smitten as they locked eyes while wearing a dark suit and a white dress. The pastry chef-turned-pharmacist held a bouquet of flowers while smiling wide, perhaps dreaming of their future together.

nypost.com

From this link :
Another pal said Wednesday she met Chen at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, where she was outgoing and lively.

“She was a fun person who has so many friends and always wanted everyone to feel included,” the woman who asked not to be identified wrote The Post. “She was warm and kind, loved her family, and loved dogs.”

 

[vls12345]

Bradley Dawson Killed Christe Chen on Fiji Honeymoon: Cops

"She was warm and kind, loved her family, and loved dogs," an old friend remembered. "People across the country are missing her."

lawandcrime.com

"...The Sun reports that a police prosecutor in the island nation is seeking a court order for Bradley Dawson’s DNA after he allegedly refused to cooperate with forensic testing requests...."

 

[Erutan]

Christe's LinkedIn :

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christe-chen-7a002643/

 

[Seattle1]

Photo shows smitten newlyweds months before alleged honeymoon murder

Christe Chen, 36, and Bradley Robert Dawson, 38, tied the knot in February – when the pair appeared smitten as they locked eyes while wearing a dark suit and a white dress. The pastry chef-turned-pharmacist held a bouquet of flowers while smiling wide, perhaps dreaming of their future together.

nypost.com

7/20/22

Christe Chen, 36, and Bradley Robert Dawson, 38, tied the knot in February — with the pair appearing smitten as they locked eyes in a photo on their big day.

The pastry chef-turned-pharmacist wore a flowing, strapless gown and held a bouquet of flowers while smiling wide, perhaps dreaming of their life together.

[..]

Chen and Dawson then hosted a party the next day with about 20 people at a historic inn in their hometown of Memphis, the outlet reported.

The couple’s decision to get married took some by surprise, according to a source who knew Chen professionally.

“It was some kind of whirlwind romance,” the source who asked not to be identified told the Daily Beast, adding that few people in Chen’s orbit met Dawson prior to the wedding.

[..]

Guests at their intimate reception the day after the nuptials [2/18] — where the couple seemed to be elated — feasted on Caesar salad, petite filet steak, and sauteed shrimp in brown butter, according to video of the event obtained by the outlet.

“Yesterday, Christe & Brad were given a gorgeous spring day to celebrate their nuptials amongst their closest family and friends at the beautiful James Lee House,” a photographer hired for the event posted on her Instagram page. “Christe and Brad’s joy radiated all over their faces and was so much fun to capture on camera.”

[..]

The couple had met in 2015 while planning a mutual friend’s bachelorette party, the Daily Mail reported.

“It’s so sad,” Schomburg said of her friend’s tragic death. “She didn’t have a bad bone in her body.”

Another pal said Wednesday she met Chen at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, where she was outgoing and lively.

“She was a fun person who has so many friends and always wanted everyone to feel included,” the woman who asked not to be identified wrote The Post. “She was warm and kind, loved her family, and loved dogs.”

The woman said she never met Dawson, but added Chen never mentioned any sort of discord between them.

[photos at link -- too large for WS to upload].

 

[Seattle1]

Christe's LinkedIn :

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christe-chen-7a002643/

Not very familiar with social media outside of FB.
Do you have to make a profile to search LI ?
I haven't found his or her FB pages either.

Thank you, @Erutan. This is all coming in order now. DM is the best at hunting down social media and the fact that no photos are from FB probably means there's no active FB -- only Instagram.

I don't think this was necessarily a whirlwind romance as reported-- given the 2015 meet date and CBU connection.

I also believe this thought is typical of the mate that friends never met -- BD probably did his best to isolate Christie but her personality didn't allow complete dominance as he wanted.

Sad for this lovely woman. She knew in her gut this guy was off (i.e., none of her close friends ever met BD).

I sense her mother sensed this as well. MOO

 

[5peep5]

This is so sad. Brad is a friend of ours. And we are so shocked this happened. He was such a chill, go with the flow kind of guy. But I appreciated the info y’all have provided. It has helped us put some pieces together.

 

[Erutan]

Husband Accused of Murdering New Bride on Luxurious Fiji Honeymoon

Five months after tying the knot, Bradley Robert Dawson stands accused of murdering his new bride while in the South Pacific.

www.thedailybeast.com

He was uncooperative with authorities after Chen’s death, said police, who asked a judge to order Dawson to submit to a DNA test after initially refusing, according to the outlet.
I'm copying this sentence over as it sounds like BD refused to submit his dna ?

Again, not the actions one would expect from an innocent man.
What was the motive for murder ?

Did she have a life insurance policy taken out on her by him ?
Did BD have any vices that Christe discovered ??
Was he calm and easy going in public but different in private ?

I'm assuming that Christe's mother met him.
They seemed very close, Christe and her mom.
Were there any red flags the mother noticed ?
A lot of questions.
All my .02.

 

[Seattle1]

This is so sad. Brad is a friend of ours. And we are so shocked this happened. He was such a chill, go with the flow kind of guy. But I appreciated the info y’all have provided. It has helped us put some pieces together.

Welcome to WS @5peep5. I'm sorry for your loss of both sense of confidence and a friendship as known to you and yours. I don't know how anybody in the community would not feel betrayed.

 

[Erutan]

Bride's death in paradise was an ACCIDENT, says murder-charge husband

Newlywed husband Bradley Dawson, 38, has been charged with the murder of his wife Christe Chen Dawson after she was found dead 12 days ago at the secluded Turtle Island Resort, Fiji.

www.dailymail.co.uk

From the article :

• She was found beaten to death with multiple traumatic injuries to her body and head in the bathroom of their luxury bungalow
• Dawson was too distressed to talk for days after manhunt found him 1.2 miles away on a secluded island. He'd fled on a kayak after arguing with his wife
• His lawyer insists death was an accident and murder charge will be dismissed

bolded font mine


"In the bathroom" , an odd place to have a fight ?
Had she run into the bathroom, and attempted to lock herself in for her own safety ?

Not buying the lawyer's "accident" excuse as multiple injuries take some time to inflict.
Christe didn't just fall and bump the back of her head.

My .02.

 

[scdiv]

from the article:

But one local told DailyMail.com the couple are said to have fought on the day of Dawson's death, adding: 'There was a heated argument.'

Resort staff said only that there was an incident which was a 'private matter' for the couple. Fijian police refused to comment on the case.

Maybe was escalating all day?

more:

DailyMail.com has learned that on the day Chen was found dead, the alarm was raised when neither Chen or Dawson turned up to eat breakfast. Their personal butler then went to the couples' bungalow and found a 'do not disturb sign' on their door. They then failed to turn up to lunch, and at that point, their butler - who personally cleaned their bungalow - used a spare key to unlock the door.

The butler - known as a 'House Papa' - discovered Chen lying bloodied on the bathroom floor around midday.

Sources have told DailyMail.com that the 50-year-old had started cleaning other rooms in the bungalow before he saw blood stains on the bathroom wall. When he went to investigate, he found Chen beaten to death.

 

[scdiv]

I wonder if there were previous signs. In the Daily Mail picture of CC sitting on beach alone, her leg has a large not typical bruise. (By that I mean it doesn't look she merely bumped into something.)

I don't like how his lawyer sounds. "Something surprising happened?" I guess that's one way to call it. Glad Bradley is feeling better now.

"Something surprising happened,' Khan told DailyMail.com. 'Bradley's okay now but he was really distressed when it happened. Last week he was in a desperate condition but he's picking up now. It is a horrendous thing to happen on your honeymoon.'

 

[helpfulcharlie]

I'm really struggling how a couple goes from "whirlwind romance" to "honeymoon in Fiji" to "woman beaten to death in the bathroom" in such a short time. There has to be more to this story. I'm glad he's alive to tell it. At this early stage, this doesn't look like an insurance murder, or like anything that could have been predicted. Something snapped between these two. What was it? No attempt to cover it up or create alternate scenarios to explain the crime, just run and drink.

 

[scdiv]

I'm really struggling how a couple goes from "whirlwind romance" to "honeymoon in Fiji" to "woman beaten to death in the bathroom" in such a short time. There has to be more to this story. I'm glad he's alive to tell it. At this early stage, this doesn't look like an insurance murder, or like anything that could have been predicted. Something snapped between these two. What was it? No attempt to cover it up or create alternate scenarios to explain the crime, just run and drink.

It's so hard to know. That resort was sure expensive. $3500-5000 a night depending on what figure the Daily Mail quotes this time. Maybe not an insurance murder, but something to do with money and finances? The biggest flag to me is that her friends hadn't really met him until the day of the wedding. He wasn't immersed into her daily world? Why? Was it rage/anger after some fight, or did he intend to kill her if she found out something he didn't want her to reveal or share?

 

[Charlot123]

I understand that it is a private island, but is it even possible that she did not cry out, being beaten to death? And if she did, how come no one responded? Private islands have great security.

Also, such expensive places would usually have cameras. Strange that Mr. Dawson was absent for 36 hours and not found sooner.

His previous life is under the loupe now. As to poor Ms. Chen, it seems much more straightforward. An only child. Her poor mother.

BTW, I would not be surprised if the argument was more simple and involved money they spent in that tropical paradise, or the tips to people working there, or such. If Mr. Dawson was not used to "extravagant trips", using the newspaper phrase, and Ms. Chen was, then the amount spent there might have come as a chock for him. I would not be surprised if it will end up not a dark plot, but merely, "what, 25 dollars for a tip?" Or just how much they spent on that trip. And of course, him being drunk and disinhibited. I wonder if "blunt trauma to the head" was inflicted by a champagne bottle, or such.

 

[Erutan]

I was wondering if she told him it was over and that she wanted a divorce ?
This might not be important, but who was paying for their stay ?
There are reasons I'm wondering.

 

[Charlot123]

A "whirlwind romance".

Seeing that she has been murdered, the "whirlwind romance" makes me suspicious.

I wonder if she really did not know who/what he was as a person. Are there any red flags in his past?

MOO.

It is odd, as another source posted that they knew each other since 2015; I forgot how they met, but something charitable. Maybe it wasn’t a romance at that time, merely an acquaintance? But everyone notices that Dawson was not well-known to Chen’s friends.