The family of a mother-of-three who was murdered at the hands of her abusive estranged husband have expressed relief at justice being served after “a long-time coming”.
“It’s just amazing, for all the women who’ve been violated by men, it’s good that the justice system stood up and they finally got him,” Cindy Crossthwaite’s aunt Kathleen Jones said.
“She was a mum and he had abused her and beaten her for years.”
Almost two decades after he shot Crossthwaite dead at her Melton South home, on June 20, 2007, Emil “Bill” Petrov was finally thrown behind bars this afternoon.
He had been on bail for five years, after being released in 2019 as his elderly mother posted a $900,000 bond and because of delays to the case.
But that all changed after Petrov, 60, was convicted following a weeks-long Supreme Court jury trial in Melbourne.
Petrov’s face turned red and he shook his head after a jury forewoman told the court they had found him guilty of murder.
His girlfriend leaned over the court dock and gave him a kiss, before he was led out of court by custody officers to be taken to prison.
She had been choked and shot in the head at close range, from about 15 centimetres away, the jury was told.
Weeks before her murder, she was enduring a bitter court battle with Petrov over how they would divide their assets.
The case was adjourned to allow Petrov to find a lawyer, but the mother-of-three would not make it to the next hearing.
Prosecutors said Petrov’s killing was fuelled by a “deep-seated hatred” for Crossthwaite amidst the court battle as they presented the jury with a circumstantial case to prove his guilt.
The estranged couple were facing Family Court hearings in May 2007 as they tried to divide up their assets, with Petrov arguing for several properties to be excluded as he claimed they were owned by his parents.
Prosecutor Mark Gibson said Petrov knew both his and his parents’ financial interests would be adversely affected when the court proceedings were due to resume, so he murdered Crossthwaite before the case returned.
Central to the trial was witness Brian O’Shea, who avoided a murder charge by testifying against Petrov about providing him with a gun for $3000.
In the months before the killing, Petrov showed O’Shea a black wig and dark-coloured clothing inside his car boot.
“I’m going to kill that c— Cindy. I’m going to take a week off work. I’m going to kill her,” O’Shea said Petrov told him.
Twelve jurors returned their guilty verdict against Petrov just after midday on Wednesday, more than a week after beginning deliberations.
Petrov will return to the court for a pre-sentence hearing on March 21.
Crossthwaite’s family hugged and wiped away tears as the verdict was handed down.
“It’s been a long-time coming and we’re just so happy she gets justice,” Jones told reporters outside the court.
“And the children, what it did to them and the family, just terribly terrible sad.”
She said hearing the murder verdict being handed down was a feeling of “just wow”.
“It’s better than winning lotto, it’s just unbelievable, I can’t even explain it,” Jones said.
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