The body of the Tennessee woman found dead in a hotel in the Fiji Islands during her honeymoon celebration was so battered that it had to be cremated before being transferred back to the United States.
The body of Christe Chen, aged 39, was discovered earlier this month at a resort in the Yasawa Islands. Authorities in the South Pacific region believe the woman died on July 9.
Allegedly, the victim was brutally attacked by her husband Bradley Robert Dawson, of 38.
“The deceased could not be taken home due to the nature of her injuries…so she had to be cremated here in Fiji and his ashes taken back,” Ronald Gordon, a lawyer representing Chen’s family, told the DailyMail. “She is the only daughter and they are obviously completely devastated and want to make sure that at the end of the day justice is done for her,” said the legal representative.
The woman’s body presented blunt force trauma to the head and other injuries to the body. After being detained by agents, he refused to submit to DNA tests as part of the investigation
Dawson, who remains detained in a prison in the area, would have tried to escape in a kayak.
Despite the above, Iqbal Khan, the defendant’s lawyer, believes that the murder charge against his client will not prosper.
“There is no way he will be convicted of murder. There is no way. Full stop,” Khan was quoted as saying by Crime Online. “Based on the evidence they have presented so far, there is no proof that there was any intent to kill or premeditation. None of that at all”, he alleged.
“According to appearances, it seems that it was an accident. I will be able to confirm that once I get full disclosure next week and see other witnesses,” he anticipated.
Chen was found by a maintenance worker after the couple did not show up for breakfast or lunch. The woman’s body lay in the bathroom of the bungalow.
Dawson allegedly told a resident while escaping in the kayak that he had gotten into a heated argument with Chen.
Woman allegedly murdered by her husband on a honeymoon in the Fiji Islands was euphoric about the trip