{
  "id": 18435835,
  "title": "Murder trial hears woman's injuries 'consistent with strangulation'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/murder-trial-hears-womans-injuries-consistent-with-strangulation",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-06T03:57:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-06/frances-crawford-injuries-murder-trial-robert-crawford/107356202"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A forensic pathologist testified at a murder trial that the injuries found on 49-year-old Frances Crawford's body indicated she had been strangled in a chokehold and attempted to free herself. Dr. Andrzej Kędziora, who conducted an autopsy on the mother of three after her death in late July 2024, stated he was having difficulty reconciling her injuries with her husband Robert Crawford's account of finding her beneath their ride-on mower following a rollover accident. Mr. Crawford has pleaded not guilty to one charge of domestic violence murder, claiming he stood to lose millions of dollars in a possible divorce or by having to sell their multi-million-dollar home if his wife did not die. Prosecutors allege Mr. Crawford stood to gain over $5 million in the event of his wife's death. Dr. Kędziora observed between 20 and 25 injuries on Frances Crawford's neck, a significant laceration on her head, and substantial bruising on her chest and chin. He attributed some injuries to being strangled, such as the bruised upper chest potentially caused by her elbow or forearm trying to free herself, and fingernail abrasions possibly resulting from her slipping hand. However, he noted other injuries could have occurred after she was deceased and could not definitively conclude the cause of death based solely on the autopsy findings. The trial has heard from at least 20 witnesses and is expected to continue for another fortnight, totaling approximately four weeks.",
  "summary": "A forensic pathologist has told a murder trial that injuries found on 49-year-old Frances Crawford's body were consistent with her being strangled in a chokehold and trying to free herself.",
  "key_points": [],
  "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."
}