Donald Morley: Wife killer, 94, dies weeks after being sentenced for suffocating lifelong partner Jean Morley to death
- Donald Morley convicted in April
- Lost cancer battle on Friday
A 94-year-old murderer has died, months after being convicted of murdering his wife.
Donald Morley was sentenced to nine years in prison in April after pleading guilty to the murder of his wife Jean Morley.
The 92-year-old woman’s body was found in her bed by a carer during a routine visit to their home in Fisher, ACT in August 2023.
Mrs Morley suffered from dementia before her husband smothered her with a pillow in their marriage bed.
After his conviction, Morley was transferred to Clare Holland House Hospital suffering from terminal cancer.
Australian Capital Territory police confirmed he died on Friday while a convicted prisoner.
Judge David Mossop sentenced Morley to nine years in prison, four and a half years of which will be without the possibility of parole.
Donald Morley and his wife Jean Morley lived in Canberra when he murdered her.
“(Morley) began to fear the future and believed this was an acceptable option,” Judge David Mossop said during his sentencing speech in April.
Murder is murder, regardless of the age or frailty of the victim or the perpetrator.
‘Murder is the most serious denial of the autonomy of the individual. Especially when the victim is vulnerable.’
Jean Morley was murdered by her husband Donald Morley in 2023 at their Fisher home in Canberra. Photo: Contributed
There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding Morley’s death.
The police will file a report with the coroner.
The couple, who were married for 69 years, were high school sweethearts who emigrated to Australia from the United Kingdom when they were both in their 40s.
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