A former US Marine has admitted killing his estranged wife by setting her on fire just weeks before he was due to stand trial.
Brian Earl Johnston pleaded guilty to the murder of Kelly Wilkinson in the Queensland Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Johnston set Mrs Wilkinson, 27, on fire in the backyard of the family home in Arundel, on the Gold Coast, about 6.40am on April 20, 2021.
Johnston was found two blocks away on a front lawn in a “semi-conscious state,” with a melted plastic canister, three knives and a duffel bag with duct tape found at the scene.
Brian Earl Johnston pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court of Queensland on Wednesday to the murder of Kelly Wilkinson (pictured together)
A heartbroken neighbor reported finding her three children, aged between two and nine at the time, crying in the driveway after the horrific murder.
Johnston will be sentenced next month and is in custody.
On Wednesday, Johnston did not respond in court when asked if he wanted to comment on why he should not be sentenced.
Defense attorney Kim Bryson said she had agreed with Crown prosecutor Philip McCarthy that March 13 would be appropriate for a sentencing hearing.
“There are some matters of fact that remain in dispute regarding the background of the relationship… we have been frustrated in our efforts to get to the prison because of the lockdowns that have taken place,” Ms Bryson said.
Mr McCarthy said there was also a dispute of fact over the motivation for Johnston to kill Ms Wilkinson.
Johnston will be sentenced in March
The couple holds one of their children while on holiday in the US. Johnston (right) is in a serious condition under police guard at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
Judge Callaghan said he could change the sentencing date if necessary.
Daily Mail Australia reported late last year how an entrepreneur worked around the clock to secure a house and land package for Ms Wilkinson’s three children.
The children were cared for by Mrs Wilkinson’s sister after her death.
Johnston served two tours of duty in Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps Aviation Division, but saw no combat.
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