Brian Earl Johnston: Convicted domestic violence killer back in court over sickening new allegations
A former US Marine already serving a life sentence for brutally murdering his wife by stabbing and setting her on fire will appear in court accused of raping her.
Brian Earl Johnston, 37, will appear for a hearing later this year on allegations that he repeatedly raped his estranged wife Kelly Wilkinson just weeks before her gruesome murder, the reported Courier mail.
Johnston was handed a mandatory life sentence in March 2024 for the shocking murder of his long-time partner on April 20, 2021.
He set Ms Wilkinson on fire after ambushing her in the backyard of her home in Arundel on the Gold Coast about 6.40am.
The mother of three suffered life-threatening burns and could not be saved by emergency services.
Multiple stab wounds were also discovered on Ms Wilkinson’s body.
Johnston was found two blocks away on a front lawn in a “semi-conscious state” with severe burns to his hands and airways.
Brian Earl Johnston, 37, will face a trial later this year on allegations he repeatedly raped his estranged wife Kelly Wilkinson just weeks before her gruesome murder.
Mrs Wilkinson was stabbed and set on fire by Johnston after being ambushed in her back garden
Mrs Wilkinson had expressed her fears for her safety to police just weeks before her murder
The rape allegations were made in early 2021, just days before Ms Wilkinson’s death.
The court brief submitted by police revealed that Johnson allegedly digitally raped Ms Wilkinson at her home in Arundel on February 10, 12 and 13, 2021.
Each time it is claimed that Johnston ‘overpowered’ Mrs Wilkinson in a bedroom before she could escape.
Ms Wilkinson is said to have spoken to Johnston after the second occasion and said: ‘What you have done to me is sexual assault.’
Johnston allegedly replied, “You can’t rape your wife.”
Mrs Wilkinson is then said to have replied: ‘I have the right to say no’.
Johnston was arrested and charged on April 12, 2021, and was granted bail from the watchhouse.
He left Southport police station without having to apply for bail during a court hearing.
Ms Wilkinson raised fears for her safety to police in March 2021 and Johnston was placed under a protection order.
Johnston was ordered to appear in court on April 30, 2021.
He murdered his wife eight days after his arrest and nine days before his court appearance.
At the Southport Domestic Violence Court, Magistrate Jane Bentley committed the matter on Friday for a two-day hearing on August 27 and 28, 2024.
The court heard Johnston is currently suffering from smallpox and is in isolation.
In seventeen years he will be eligible to apply for parole, taking into account the three years he has already spent in pre-trial detention.
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