Robert Alexander, 66, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years for the murder of his wife, Christina Alexander, 60, at their home in Ascot Drive, Dosthill, Tamworth. The sentence was handed down at Stafford Crown Court on Tuesday, September 1, after a jury unanimously convicted him following a two-week trial earlier this year.
The murder took place during the evening of June 22 and into June 23 last year. A post-mortem examination found that Christina suffered at least 77 stab wounds to her body, face, neck, trunk, arms and legs. She also sustained blunt force trauma to her head, consistent with being hit by a dog food can, fractures of two ribs, and wounds on her arms and hands suggesting she tried to defend herself. Alexander also strangled her. Her cause of death was stab wounds to the chest and abdomen, neck compression, and blunt force trauma to the head.
Killer's chilling 999 call
After the attack, Alexander called 999 himself and calmly confessed to police, saying "I've disposed of my wife" – words described by the prosecution as "nothing other than chilling." When police arrived, he mentioned "money and inheritance" once more, saying: "It's all to do with money, dictating to me how I spend my inheritance. She came into my life about eight years ago with nothing."
In court, Alexander changed his account, claiming he had no memory of the killing due to amnesia. He pleaded self-defence and diminished responsibility, telling the jury he remembered only that Christina had hit him in the stomach and testicles before his apparent lapse in memory. He said: "I lost the plot. I went berserk. I lost my temper. I don't know what I did, I lost control."
He argued that depression and autism reduced his responsibility, but medical experts concluded he was experiencing "no more than mild depression" and found no evidence of an abnormality of mind. The jury rejected his claims and convicted him of murder.
Controlling behaviour and financial fixation
The couple met through online dating and married in 2019, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). From early on, Alexander demonstrated increasingly controlling and violent behaviour towards his wife, driven by a fixation on money. On September 13, 2020, police were called after Alexander placed his wife in a chokehold and bit her cheek. He also threatened to kill a neighbour who heard what was happening. The CPS said: "When arrested, his main concern was that she knew his bank card PIN numbers. He was later convicted of battery."
In June 2021, Christina dialled 999 after her husband picked up an iron bar and waved it at her following an argument about DIY. She told police she was "living under constant threat of violence." No further action was taken due to a lack of evidence, but Alexander was issued with a domestic violence protection order.
Despite working as a nurse for 40 years, Christina remained financially dependent on her husband and feared she would have nowhere to live if she left. Alexander made attempts to take his own life, but the judge said these were "manipulative in nature" and intended to keep Christina in the marriage. He tried to control her by self-harming, Judge Mukherjee said, adding: "You knew, in my judgement, that she would be more reluctant to leave you if she discovered that you had self harmed."
Planned escape and tragic premonition
By 2025, Christina was planning to leave her husband. She had consulted a solicitor and made financial arrangements to live independently. In a phone call to her sister on June 22, she said: "F****** miserable b*****. The sooner he is out of my life, the better." Dashcam footage from her car also captured her telling her sister: "I'll probably be dead before then."
Money remained a concern for Alexander, as he worried his wife would take a substantial amount when she left. Judge Mukherjee said: "This was a scenario you could not cope with." The attack is thought to have started in the hallway and progressed into the kitchen as Christina tried to get away from the violence. After calling 999, Alexander changed his clothes, put the bins out, and stayed inside with his dogs.
In messages to Christina, Alexander misled her about his whereabouts, claiming to be in hospital when he was in fact travelling home. Dashcam footage from her car showed her returning to the house, unaware he was already there, the CPS said.
Sentencing, Judge Avik Mukherjee told Alexander he was sure he had not "told the full truth" about what he did that night. The judge said there was insufficient evidence to suggest Alexander feared serious violence from Christina. Instead, he repeatedly engaged in controlling and coercive behaviour before his sustained and excessive violence towards his wife.
Tributes and police response
Paying tribute to his sister, Christina's brother Neil Murphy said: "Tina was somebody that throughout her life just wanted to help people. From a young age, she wanted to follow in our mother's footsteps and become a nurse. We have been trying our hardest to remember all the happy memories of my sister, she was always there for all her brothers and sisters. Robert can cowardly take away my sister's life but he can never take away our memories."
Detective Superintendent Charlotte Naughton, the senior investigating officer, said: "This was a devastating incident, where Christina's life was violently ended too soon. No sentence will bring Christina back, however I hope our investigation is able to provide some closure to Christina's loved ones. Domestic abuse remains one of the most harmful and pervasive crimes we face. Warwickshire Police is committed to taking robust action against those who perpetrate abuse, controlling behaviour and violence."
