A Tennessee man has been charged with murdering his new wife while the couple honeymooned in Fiji, according to ABC News. The man, Bradley Robert Dawson (38) and his bride, Christe Chen (36) had been staying at Turtle Island, a luxurious resort on a private island in the South Pacific nation’s Yasawa archipelago.
On July 9, Chen was discovered lying motionless on the floor of their villa by housekeeping staff. The Fiji Police Force pronounced her dead and said that she was beaten to death.
Two days later, Dawson was found on Fiji‘s main island, Viti Levu, in the town of Nadi, where he was arrested. On July 13, he was charged with his wife’s murder in Lautoka Magistrates’ Court. He will remain in police custody and will appear in court again on July 27.
Iqbal Khan, Dawson’s attorney, will be filing an application for bail on July 25, however, because his client is a foreigner with no one in the country to provide assurances for him, Iqbal believes it will be hard to secure bail.
Dawson is expected to be detained in Fiji for a long time to come while he goes through the legal process set forth by the country.
The Fiji Police Force is continuing to prepare the disclosure that includes all the details of the case. They will be sending it to the Lautoka High Court prior to Dawson’s next scheduled court date.
In a statement to ABC News, a representative from Turtle Island said, “An incident took place between a married couple at the resort on July 9th, resulting in a tragic outcome and charges being laid. We cooperated with the authorities during the investigation and the police left the island over a week ago.”
“It is our understanding that charges have been filed in the case. Our highest priority is the safety and concern for our guests and team, both who we value as family, and we are extremely saddened by the event. We continue to send our condolences to Ms. Chen’s family, friends, and colleagues.”
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