Former RAAF pilot's murder trial under way in Brisbane over death of his wife

Robert John Crawford, a former pilot with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), is on trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court, charged with murdering his wife, Frances Elizabeth Crawford. He is 49 and has pleaded not guilty, according to The Guardian.

Frances Crawford was a Queensland psychologist. The prosecution alleges she died on 29 July 2024 at Upper Lockyer, a rural area in south-east Queensland. Her body was found near a ride-on lawnmower at the bottom of a retaining wall, a low wall built to hold back soil, on a property west of Toowoomba. Queensland police later charged her husband with her murder.

The prosecution, led by Chris Cook, alleges that Crawford caused his wife's death either by strangulation or by blunt-force trauma, meaning injuries caused by a heavy impact rather than a cut or puncture. It further alleges he staged the death to look like an accident. Crawford's plea of not guilty is his response to the charge.

Prosecutors have also set out a motive. According to the Guardian's report, the prosecution alleges he wanted to avoid financial loss in a divorce, keep the couple's house, and avoid having his superannuation, Australia's workplace retirement savings, split with his wife.

Four women with whom Crawford allegedly had affairs are due to be called as witnesses. The jury will also be taken to the site where the alleged murder took place. Justice Lincoln Crowley is presiding over the trial.

The trial is expected to hear from up to 47 witnesses over three weeks. Crawford's case has previously come before the courts in other ways. In 2025, ABC News reported he had been charged with breaching his curfew while on bail awaiting trial, and that he was cleared of the breach.