The brother of Christina Alexander, a 60-year-old nurse stabbed more than 70 times by her husband, has described the moment he learned the 'horrific truth' about her injuries, saying the family has been left in 'utter shock and disbelief'. Neil Murphy spoke after Robert Alexander, 66, of Ascot Drive, Dosthill, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years on Tuesday, September 1, following a unanimous murder conviction at Stafford Crown Court.
Christina, known to her family as Tina, was killed in her home in Dosthill, Tamworth, in June 2025. Her husband called 999 after the attack and admitted to police that he had murdered his wife, telling officers "I've disposed of my wife". Despite this confession, Alexander denied the crime during his trial, claiming self-defence and diminished responsibility, but the jury rejected his account.
Brother's statement to the court
In a statement read to Stafford Crown Court, Neil Murphy described his sister as the 'most precious of siblings' and said: "Our lives will never be the same again. It feels like every one of us are serving a life sentence." He added: "My heart will be broken forever."
Neil initially believed his sister had been stabbed 'maybe five or six times', but medical evidence established she was stabbed 'at least 77 times'. She was also strangled, and her husband used a can of dog food to inflict blunt force injuries to her head, leaving her with 'catastrophic' injuries to her face, neck, body, arms and legs.
Speaking of the discovery, Neil said he was 'chilled to the bone' when he learned the true number of injuries his sister suffered, and that it was something he would 'never be able to forget'. He told the court: "Only one person alive today knows how much our sister truly suffered."
Family's tribute and the 'Famous Five'
Neil described his sister as a 'second mum' to him and his siblings, who 'never complained' about looking after them. He said: "We have been trying our hardest to remember all the happy memories of my sister. She was always there for her brothers and sisters, but we have been finding it so difficult to tap into these memories. All we feel is pain and sorrow at how tragically our sister's life was taken from her during the most brutal of circumstances."
He also reflected on the circumstances leading to her death, saying: "Her love for Alexander is ultimately what contributed to her death." He added that 'things could have been different' had Christina not wanted to help her husband in his 'times of need', noting: "Sadly it was not in Tina's nature to turn her back on anyone in need."
The court heard that Alexander self-harmed in the weeks before the murder, but psychiatric experts established this was 'intended to manipulate or control' his wife. Christina was planning to leave the marriage at the time of her death. Alexander claimed in court he could not remember what happened, insisting he had 'amnesia' after Christina allegedly hit him in the stomach.
Christina's friends, known as the 'Famous Five', also paid tribute in a statement read to the court, saying they will 'never be a group of five again'. They said: "She will forever be a part of our group, never forgotten." They described her as 'kind, caring and generous', a 'trusty colleague' who 'always put others before herself' and 'dedicated her life to helping others'. The women said they have been left 'heartbroken' and 'overwhelmed by the reality' that they will never see her again.
Conviction and sentence
Neil spoke of Alexander's 'lies and deceit' in court, adding: "If only that man had done the decent thing and offered a guilty plea, owning up straight away to the thing we all know he did." He said the killer's 'pathetic attempt to discredit and take away her memory has failed', and defiantly told the court that his sister's memory 'will live on in each and every one of us'.
Addressing Alexander directly, Neil said: "I hope, somewhere down the line, you come to terms with what you have done and realise the magnitude of what you have lost."
Alexander, of Ascot Drive, Dosthill, was unanimously convicted of murder by jurors following a trial at Stafford Crown Court earlier this year. He was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 20 years, on Tuesday, September 1.
