Deakin University lecturer Adam Brown jailed for 24 years for wife’s murder
Gender studies teacher who killed his wife in backyard during argument over childcare gets 24 years in prison
- Adam Brown, 41, sentenced to 24 years in prison for wife’s murder
- Brown pleads guilty to stabbing 35-year-old Chen Cheng after an argument
- The judge condemned Brown’s claim that they stabbed each other
A college professor who admitted to killing his wife in their suburban home after a heated argument over childcare has been sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Adam Brown, a 41-year-old lecturer in gender studies and digital media at Deakin University, was convicted Tuesday morning by the Victorian Supreme Court after admitting to the murder of his wife, Chen Cheng, 35, last year.
The couple began arguing in an upstairs bedroom of their unit in eastern Melbourne on the evening of April 30, then went downstairs to the kitchen, where Brown claimed they both grabbed knives.
Adam Brown, 41, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for murdering his wife last year.
The judge condemned Brown’s claim that he and 35-year-old Chen Cheng (both pictured) stabbed each other after an argument.
Neighbors heard Ms. Cheng yell “help me, help me, he’s trying to kill me” before she died, and Brown told her to “stop,” “go down,” “shut up.”
The fight moved to the backyard, where the pair struggled on the grass over a knife. Brown stabbed Ms. Cheng several times, including large wounds to her neck and chest.
Neighbors knocked on the door until Brown let them in. They found Ms. Cheng, bleeding as her body lay lifeless on the grass.
One of the neighbours, a nurse, tried to resuscitate Ms. Cheng. Paramedics arrived and declared her on the scene around 10:40 p.m.
Brown was dressed in a suit and tie as he appeared before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, where he learned his fate.
Justice John Champion sentenced him to 24 years in prison for the “savage and persistent attack” on his wife while their two-year-old son was in the same home.
Brown waved to his family (pictured) and friends, who were in attendance at the Victorian Supreme Court, before being escorted to a police van
Ms Cheng was last heard screaming for help just behind a gate at their home in Melbourne (pictured) before neighbors found her lifeless and bleeding on the grass
The judge rejected Brown’s claims to police that the pair had stabbed each other during the fight.
Brown suffered only minor injuries, while Ms. Cheng suffered multiple stab wounds, including deep lacerations to her neck and chest.
“Ms. Cheng fought for her life against your attack on her… she was terrified of what happened,” Justice Champion said.
Brown has already served more than a year of his sentence and is eligible for parole after 17.5 years.
He waved to his family and friends in court as he was escorted to a prison van.