{
  "id": 18012166,
  "title": "Murder trial jury to visit property where Frances Crawford died",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/03/murder-trial-jury-to-visit-property-where-frances-crawford-died",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-03T19:56:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-04/murder-trial-jury-set-to-visit-crawford-property/107343350"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Jurors assigned to the trial surrounding the alleged murder of Frances Crawford are set to tour the property where she met her demise. Her husband, Robert Crawford, has entered a plea of not guilty to the charge that he orchestrated her death in July 2024. The jury will visit the rural Upper Lockyer area, located west of Brisbane, for approximately an hour to examine several key locations. Robert Crawford has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife, Frances Crawford, who was 49 years old at the time of her alleged demise. Prosecutors claim that Robert caused her death through strangulation or blunt force trauma at their residence in Upper Lockyer before orchestrating the scene to make it appear as though she had suffered an accidental ride-on mower rollover. However, Robert's defense team argues that her death occurred as a result of a tragic accident. On the seventh day of the Supreme Court trial being held in Brisbane, the jury is expected to make the trip to the rural property to conduct a viewing. The jury has been informed that they will spend about an hour at the site and will be instructed to wear sunscreen, bring hats, and carry an umbrella in case of rain. Robert Crawford, legal representatives, the presiding trial judge, and police personnel are among the individuals permitted to be present during the jury's visit. The jury has already been informed that the couple had been grappling with persistent relationship issues stemming from numerous instances of infidelity on Robert Crawford's part. Mid-2023, the couple had separated, but Robert had recently returned to the family home on a trial basis. During Tuesday's proceedings, the jury was presented with numerous alleged crime scene photographs, which included a notebook allegedly discovered in the kitchen pantry after Frances Crawford's death. In the handwritten notes, Frances expressed her growing dissatisfaction with her marriage, stating that living with Robert had become increasingly challenging and that she often felt like giving up. These notes further detailed Robert's perceived lack of support and his unwillingness to maintain separate bank accounts, which Frances perceived as a lack of safety. The jury was also provided with a list of rules and consequences that Frances claimed Robert had imposed upon them, such as avoiding conversations with women unrelated to work and refraining from engaging in pornographic activities. Additionally, the jury was shown bloodstained materials, including a towel and a bath mat found in the couple's ensuite bathroom, which were allegedly coated with Frances Crawford's blood. Forensic scientist Sergeant Owen Esaias testified about the blood found at the crime scene, explaining that two plausible scenarios could account for the presence of blood on the rock retaining wall above Frances' body: either an existing injury had come into contact with the blood, or the injury occurred as a result of contact with the blood. Esaias maintained that he assigned equal importance to both scenarios. He also presented photographs of the bloodstained towel and bath mat, which he concluded were most likely contaminated by drip stains from Frances' blood. During cross-examination, Esaias acknowledged that the most plausible explanation for the blood on the towel was that it had been transferred from Robert Crawford during a shower.",
  "summary": "Robert Crawford has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 49-year-old Frances Crawford in July 2024.",
  "key_points": [
    "Jury to tour property in Upper Lockyer, west of Brisbane",
    "Robert Crawford pleads not guilty to Frances Crawford's murder",
    "Jurors informed about relationship issues and alleged crime scene evidence"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}