A court has heard that former Royal Australian Air Force pilot Robert Crawford sent his wife loving text messages on the day she died, including one saying 'I miss you', before allegedly killing her and staging her death to look like a lawnmower accident, with prosecutors alleging Crawford sent the final messages from his wife's phone to create a false timeline.
Brisbane Supreme Court was told on Thursday that Robert Crawford, 49, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife Frances Crawford, a 49-year-old psychologist and mother of three, whose body was found at the bottom of a retaining wall at their rural property in south-east Queensland in July 2024.
Crawford claimed his wife died while moving a ride-on mower late at night because the sprinklers were due to come on; the defence says her death was a tragic accident. A biomechanics professor said computer simulations could not recreate Frances Crawford’s crash, according to 7NEWS.
On Thursday, Detective Senior Constable Tahnee Bursle gave evidence about messages found on the Crawfords' phones, with Frances discussing her worry about his infidelity and being away for work. A note found on Frances' phone detailed the pair's relationship in the months before her death: 'My partner's adultery, rage, and avoidance of emotional intimacy has left me feeling isolated and alone. I feel like I have been holding our family together without his support. I felt like I was constantly walking on eggshells in the last 10 years,' it read.
The note also described Frances' reaction to finding out Crawford had bought airfares for other women, and said under the heading 'physical' that he had emotionally pressured her into sex after surgery and after childbirth.
Frances Crawford sent her husband a lengthy 'impact statement' via the Signal app on June 16, 2024, calling him a 'cheating bastard' and saying: 'I got the biggest cheat in the world… I thought I dodged a bullet with one boyfriend but instead I ran into an atomic bomb.'
The jury heard that the couple had been trialling a reconciliation after separating in mid-2023 following Frances' discovery of further infidelities. On the morning of July 29, 2024, Crawford thanked his wife for 'a good weekend away' at Kingscliff, and later messaged: 'Hey Franny guess what? I miss you.'
Crown prosecutor Chris Cook has accused Crawford of fabricating text messages that night between his wife and himself to cover his tracks, according to 7NEWS. The jury heard a message from Frances' phone at 11.21pm read: 'Hey, are you going to move the mower soon?' A message from Crawford's phone read that he was sorting out an electrocution issue at work. Another read: 'You can just turn sprinklers off if easier too xx'. Crawford later sent messages saying he was finished studying, 'Hellooooo? Xx stop watching Korean Netflix and come to bed' and 'Hey I'm getting really sleepy'.
The jury heard the last three messages from Crawford’s phone were not registered as being opened on Frances’ phone until the following morning when police were looking through it. Crawford called triple-0 at 3.35am and said he had found his wife underneath the lawnmower.
Recorded phone calls played to the jury included one in January 2024 in which Crawford enquired about cancelling his wife's life insurance policy, and multiple recordings of him enquiring about her superannuation in September 2024. The crown prosecutor also tendered the lawnmower's steering wheel into evidence.
The trial before Justice Lincoln Crowley continues.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The case focuses on whether a domestic homicide can be masked as an accident, with text messages and phone records at the centre of the dispute.
- It highlights the use of digital evidence, including messaging patterns and read receipts, to challenge an accused's account of events.
- The trial continues, and the verdict will depend on whether the jury accepts the prosecution's case that the texts were staged or the defence's argument that the death was a tragic mishap.
Background
The Crawfords lived in Upper Lockyer, a rural area west of Brisbane, where Frances Crawford was found dead near an overturned ride-on lawnmower in the early hours of July 30, 2024. Robert Crawford, a former RAAF pilot, has been on trial since October 2026. The prosecution alleges he strangled his wife then staged the scene, while the defence maintains the death was a tragic accident involving the mower. The couple had been in counselling and separated in mid-2023 after Frances discovered further infidelities, with Robert later moving back into the family home for a trial reconciliation. Frances Crawford had wanted her husband to undergo regular polygraph tests as part of the reconciliation.
Key Perspectives
- Prosecutor Chris Cook: has accused Crawford of fabricating text messages that night between his wife and himself to cover his tracks.
- Defence barrister Sault Holt: described the messages as crucial evidence.
What to Watch
- The jury's assessment of the biomechanics expert's evidence that computer simulations could not recreate the crash scenario.
- Whether the defence calls its own experts to challenge the timeline of the final text messages.
- Further testimony about the recorded phone calls concerning life insurance and superannuation enquiries.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 3 sources: 9 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedProsecutors allege Crawford staged his wife’s death after sending her loving texts.Just In: “A former RAAF pilot told his wife "I miss you" several hours before he allegedly killed her and staged her death as an accident in Southern Queensland, a jury has heard.”
- Reports differCrawford’s “I miss you” text was sent on the day Frances died.7NEWS: “On the morning before Frances died, her husband texted: “Hey Franny guess what? I miss you (love heart emoji)“.”
- Partly supportedProsecutors allege Crawford sent messages from Frances’s phone to create a false timeline.7NEWS: “Prosecutor Chris Cook has accused Crawford of fabricating text messages that night between his wife and himself to cover his tracks.”
- Reports differFrances’s 11.21pm message asked, “Hey, are you going to move the mower soon?”Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The next messages, which according to the prosecution case were staged by Crawford, were from Frances’ phone at 11.21pm:“Hey, are you going to move the mower soon?””
- SupportedCrawford has pleaded not guilty to murdering Frances, and the defence says her death was a tragic accident.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Former Royal Australian Air Force pilot Robert Crawford, 49, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife, who was found at the bottom of a retaining wall at their rural property in south-east Queensland in July 2024. According to the defence, her death was a tragic accident.”
- SupportedCrawford claimed Frances died while moving a ride-on mower because the sprinklers were going to come on.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Crawford claimed he believed his wife died while moving a ride-on mower late at night because the sprinklers were going to come on.”
- SupportedThe biomechanics professor said computer simulations could not recreate Frances’s crash.7NEWS: “A biomechanics professor says computer simulations couldn't recreate Frances Crawford's crash.”
- SupportedThe note on Frances’s phone said her partner’s adultery, rage and avoidance of emotional intimacy left her isolated and alone.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: ““My partner’s adultery, rage, and avoidance of emotional intimacy has left me feeling isolated and alone. I feel like I have been holding our family together without his support. I felt like I was constantly walking on eggshells in the last 10 years,” it read.”
- SupportedFrances was 49, a psychologist and a mother of three, and her body was found at the bottom of a retaining wall at the couple’s rural south-east Queensland property in July 2024.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Former Royal Australian Air Force pilot Robert Crawford, 49, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife, who was found at the bottom of a retaining wall at their rural property in south-east Queensland in July 2024.”
- SupportedThe final three messages from Crawford’s phone were not registered as opened on Frances’s phone until police looked through it the following morning.Just In: “The jury heard the final three messages sent by Mr Crawford were not registered as being opened on Ms Crawford's phone until the following morning when police were looking through it.”
- SupportedA recorded January 2024 call included Crawford enquiring about cancelling Frances’s life insurance, and recordings from September 2024 included enquiries about her superannuation.Just In: “Recorded phone calls Mr Crawford made before and after his wife's death were also played to the jury, including one call to an insurance company in January 2024. In this call, he enquired about cancelling Ms Crawford's life insurance policy. Multiple recordings of Mr Crawford enquiring about her superannuation in September 2024 were also played to the jury.”
- SupportedThe crown prosecutor tendered the lawnmower’s steering wheel into evidence.Just In: “Crown prosecutor Chris Cook also tendered the lawn mower's steering wheel into evidence, which the jury will have access to inspecting.”