A Memphis man who smashed a toilet tank on his honeymoon at a luxury resort on Turtle Island in Fiji has been sentenced to life in prison for her murder.
Bradley Dawson, a 41-year-old IT specialist, was arrested on July 10, 2022. National police on the Pacific Island have found Christe Chen Dawson, a 36-year-old pharmacist from Denver. 15. They married five months ago and arrived in Fiji two days before the hotel staff died.
According to trial testimony, after an evening of partying on the beach, the drunken debate ended when Dawson begged her in the toilet and escaped the island with a stolen kayak.
An American woman killed on a honeymoon in Fiji suffers a “terrifying” injury by chance: a lawyer
Bradley Dawson was escorted at Lautoka High Court in Suva, Fiji on January 27, 2025. Dawson was convicted of the murder of his wife, Christie Chen on his 2023 honeymoon. (Tim Tava from Fox News Digital)
“What was supposed to be a truly fun and memorable holiday turned into a nightmare for the deceased and her family, causing a lot of pain and sadness for them,” Judge Riyaz Hamza wrote in the decision of the sentence. .
Robert Dawson was accused of killing his wife on a honeymoon in Fiji and ordered to be held without bail
I hope that in her final moments the memories of what you did to her bother you – because you are a monster.
Life sentence is required. Dawson is eligible for parole, also known as Fiji's pardon 18 years later.
Waterfront Cottages at Exclusive Turtle Island Resort in Fiji (Click ZMR)
“A mother doesn't need to know how her daughter's life ended, and at the very hand of the man who has pledged to love, honor and cherish her.” “I hope the rest of your life will be filled with misery, loneliness and despair.”
Chen's father, Tao Chen, said his daughter was the “center” of his family and their lives.
Christe Chen Dawson and Bradley Dawson in undated photos (Christe Chen/Instagram)
“She was my only child, my little girl and the reason I'm alive,” he said. “Every day since her death has been struggling to find meaning in a life that feels empty now.”
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Dawson was found guilty after an eight-day bench trial at Lautoka High Court last year.
Waterfront Cottages at Exclusive Turtle Island Resort in Fiji (ZMR Clicks for Fox News Digital)
Hotel workers testified that Chen appears to be angry at the resort's floating bar until the evening of July 8th and the next morning. The couple was drinking and temporarily danced with staff before the debate broke out.
A pair of security guards reported that the couple left together and headed to Bure 15.
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The next morning, hotel staff saw a “do not get in” sign in the couple's cabin. After the couple missed breakfast and lunch, the manager asked the housekeeper to check them out.
Christe Chen Dawson was depicted in a photograph of a University of Tennessee school where she studied to become a pharmacist. (University of Tennessee Health Science Center, University Pharmacy)
Hotel worker Tomasi Mawi spots Chen in the bloody bathroom and is not moving, supported by the toilet. She was covered in blood and cracked glass, with one arm “catched” in the aquarium. Local medical officer Dr. Carolyn Murti declared Chen dead on the scene.
An autopsy, later conducted by Dr. Abikari Mate, explained in great detail the extent of her injuries. Her right arm was covered with cleavage and cuts. And she had a “big gap” wound on the back above several small incisions.
Her cause of death was documented as murder due to traumatic brain injury.
Waterfront Cottages at Exclusive Turtle Island Resort in Fiji (ZMR Clicks for Fox News Digital)
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Australian businessman Mark Andrew Breeski, who was staying with his family in a cottage adjacent to Dawson, said he was about 15 minutes after seeing Dawson and Chen at around 12:40am on July 9th. He testified that he heard a scream from Boor and returned from the beach. Then there was silence.
According to trial testimony, Dawson appeared on the next day, wearing wet clothes and asking locals to call police. He was covered in a clever and cut. There, an eyewitness who met him testified that Dawson had said he had “fighted.”
Dawson told police he discussed his ex-wife at dinner.
Bradley Dawson arrives at Fiji Court for his bail hearing. (Tim Tava from Fox News Digital)
“We then went to bed and I hugged her and hugged her and hugged her. When she got mad and started saying I hurt her, I don't know if she wants to be with me,” he said. I said. Transcript of his police interview. “Our argument moved towards where the toilet was. That was when Christe pushed me forward. That was when I lost it.”
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He tells them that both the toilet and the window had broken in a brawl and he left and came back. She wasn't moving, so he grabbed a kayak and handed her a paddle for the night.
When the police asked if they would show them where the fight took place, he said he didn't want to go back and face the other guests.
Prosecutor Sinal Swastika will leave the High Court in Lautoka, Fiji on January 27, 2025. Swastika has indicted Bradley Dawson for killing his wife, Christie Chen. (Tim Tava from Fox News Digital)
Dawson pleaded not guilty, but he refused to testify in his defense and called for an eyewitness to his position. Instead, the defense argued that Chen had fallen drunk and suffered a fatal injury to her own.
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“This court cannot accept this version of the accused,” Hamza said at the end of the trial. The injury was too extreme, and a reasonable person would have tried to help her rather than leave her body supported by the toilet.
Dawson appeals for 30 days.
Located on a 500-acre private island off the coast of mainland Fiji, Turtle Island Resort is an idyllic coral reef, pristine beach, known as the backdrop of the 1980 film “Blue Lagoon,” starring Brook Shields.
