A man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife and academic colleague in a fit of jealousy.
Ertan Ersoy, who is 51 years old, angrily dropped his hearing device onto the dock floor after the judge at Chelmsford crown court announced his sentence, which included a mandatory minimum of 25 years.
On Thursday, Ersoy was convicted for the murder of Dr. Antonella Castelvedere, a 52-year-old lecturer in English and creative writing at the University of Suffolk in Ipswich. The crime took place in June of last year.
According to Christopher Paxton KC, the prosecutor, Ersoy repeatedly stabbed Castelvedere and inflicted 15 sharp force wounds to her face, neck, upper chest, and hands.
According to testimony from jurors, Ersoy had a suspicion that his wife was being unfaithful. It was revealed in court that he had previously hidden a listening device in their residence in Colchester, Essex.
During a sentencing hearing on Friday, Judge Christopher Morgan stated that Ersoy stabbed Castelvedere in a fit of jealousy.
He told Ersoy, “I believe the offense happened because you were unwilling to accept Antonella’s independence. This applies both in your marriage and in her professional life.”
The judge stated that he was confident in his knowledge of the specific details of the stabbing. However, he also mentioned that he was certain that Ersoy had entered the kitchen and engaged with her in a way that he knew would likely upset her, cause her to become angry, and incite a reaction.
He stated, “You ended her life in a brutal manner by cutting her throat, even though she posed no threat to you.”
During the trial, Paxton stated that the defendant’s anger, jealousy, and personal shortcomings were the motivating factors behind his wife’s murder.
Paxton reported that Ersoy, a visiting fellow at the University of Suffolk, contacted emergency services and then went into the street to seek assistance after stabbing his wife.
Ersoy denied being responsible for his wife’s death but admitted to causing her death, citing an abnormal mental state as a defense.
Sarah Elliott, the mitigating attorney for KC, stated that Ersoy “possibly received a stab wound right before the murder.”
The judge stated that if this incident did occur, he was confident that Castelvedere had no intention of harming you and did not stab you as the aggressor.
He reported that Ersoy had repeatedly stabbed his wife.
Source: theguardian.com
