In 2012, Rodney Dempsey, from New South Wales, killed Jenoa Sutton, 27, and then hid her body in the bathtub of their home in Lithgow.
He was sentenced to spend almost 20 years in jail. During the attack, he used a hammer-like object and a piece of wood to kill her.
Her body was discovered by her sister, who went to check on her after she failed to pick up her kids from school. Judge Peter Hamill sentenced Dempsey to spend a total of 19 years in jail.
According to the court, Dempsey, who was 53 at the time of the incident, was possessive of the former partner he had once been with.
After their split, he became infuriated when Ms Sutton told him she wanted to move to nearby Dubbo with their children. On the morning of the attack, he drove to her home and repeatedly assaulted her.
Dempsey carried out the attack over a period of time, and it culminated in a violent blow to the head.
Although it wasn’t premeditated, Justice Hamill noted that it was the result of his possessive behavior. After the incident, he went back to work as a mechanic.
The victim’s mobile phone was never recovered. After the incident, the police launched an investigation, and in 2020, Dempsey was arrested.
According to Justice Hamill, due to a guilty plea before the case went to trial, his jail sentence was reduced by around 10 percent. The court also heard that, as a child, he was abused by his adoptive mother.
Dempsey also claimed that he was sexually abused by a Catholic Priest when he was a child.
Justice Hamill noted that, despite having a criminal record, Dempsey was not a person of good character.
He said that domestic violence and drug use were issues that the courts could not tolerate.
In his statement, the judge expressed his regret and said that he would not be able to give the family of Ms Sutton a sentence that would adequately compensate for their loss.