Deakin Uni lecturer Adam Brown’s TikTok videos resurface after his arrest – as students speak out

A lecturer from one of Australia’s top universities accused of murdering his wife gushed about his family and said fatherhood was ‘the best journey’ in the weeks leading up to his shock arrest.

Adam Brown, a Deakin University tutor from Croydon North in Melbourne, allegedly stabbed the mother of his children, Chen Cheng, 35, at their home on Saturday evening. 

The 40-year-old was charged with murder on Monday – sparking a frenzy among students who thought they were ‘hallucinating’ when his face popped up on their television screens and newsfeeds overnight. 

Brown and Ms Cheng married in China in 2017 and friends and students remarked at ‘how in love they seemed’.

The couple married in China in 2017 and friends and students remarked at ‘how in love they seemed’

Adam Brown, a Deakin University tutor from Croydon North in Melbourne, allegedly stabbed the mother of his children Chen Cheng, 35, at their home on Saturday night

Adam Brown, a Deakin University tutor from Croydon North in Melbourne, allegedly stabbed the mother of his children Chen Cheng, 35, at their home on Saturday night

‘I recognised his face immediately,’ one of his students told Daily Mail Australia. ‘He was always going on about how once something was online it was there forever.

‘I felt like I was hallucinating. He would talk about his wife and the two boys and we’d see snippets of them on his TikTok and Instagram too.

‘He was a little bit cringe with his dad jokes but he was likeable too.’

As a senior lecturer at the university, Brown specialised in digital literacy and the evolution of social media. 

With upwards of 500 students each semester, he used social media to engage and offer them ‘real world experience’ about communications in a digital age.

On the day of Ms Cheng’s alleged murder, Brown was on LinkedIn congratulating a student on her graduation. 

On the day of Ms Cheng's alleged murder, Dr Brown was on LinkedIn congratulating a student on her graduation and sharing a touching tribute to his late brother, who was best man at his wedding

On the day of Ms Cheng’s alleged murder, Dr Brown was on LinkedIn congratulating a student on her graduation and sharing a touching tribute to his late brother, who was best man at his wedding

Brown shared several gushing tributes to his wife over the years

Brown shared several gushing tributes to his wife over the years

On the day of Ms Cheng's alleged murder, Brown was on LinkedIn congratulating a student on her graduation

 On the day of Ms Cheng’s alleged murder, Brown was on LinkedIn congratulating a student on her graduation

He also shared a touching tribute to his late brother, who was best man at his wedding. 

In the tribute, he spoke about the day before his wedding to Ms Chung, in which his brother was asked to list the pitfalls of her decision to marry Brown.

‘How long have we got?’ his brother asked the camera.

Shortly after Brown shared the lighthearted clip, his wife was dead.

On the same day, Brown was also on both Twitter and Instagram sharing articles and interacting with his followers. 

The ‘dorky’ university lecturer often harped on in classes about the permanence of the internet. 

Now, sweet moments he shared online with his students and network have been inundated with comments from strangers weighing in on his personal life.

On International Woman's Day last March, Brown posted a gushing tribute to his 'strong, creative and hilarious' wife on Instagram

On International Woman’s Day last March, Brown posted a gushing tribute to his ‘strong, creative and hilarious’ wife on Instagram

The 'dorky' university lecturer often harped on in classes about the permanence of the internet

The ‘dorky’ university lecturer often harped on in classes about the permanence of the internet

On International Woman’s Day last March, Brown posted a gushing tribute to his ‘strong, creative and hilarious’ wife on Instagram.

He said Ms Cheng made him ‘laugh every day’ while keeping him sane and ensuring he was ‘on time with everything’.

In a separate tribute to his son just a week ago, Brown described fatherhood as ‘the best journey to be on’. The tender message accompanied a photo of his two-year-old son walking in the distance.

Brown’s children regularly featured on his social media channels and he would even incorporate them into lessons by filming them and making short videos of their day-to-day activities.

Ms Cheng, meanwhile, often helped as well despite ‘preferring interior design, construction management and cooking’.

The couple appeared to go from strength to strength during the pandemic. One video shared to TikTok shows Ms Cheng giggling as she and her husband experimented with virtual reality technology.

Their children’s toys were littered through the background of the video.

Emergency services were called to the family home on Patrick Avenue, in the city's northeast, at about 10.15pm on Saturday night. It's understood forensic officers were met with an 'extremely graphic' scene

Emergency services were called to the family home on Patrick Avenue, in the city’s northeast, at about 10.15pm on Saturday night. It’s understood forensic officers were met with an ‘extremely graphic’ scene

Brown’s staff profile was pulled from the Deakin University website on Tuesday afternoon.

He’d described himself as ‘passionate about non-human animal welfare and human rights’ with a particular interest in Holocaust representation. 

Brown faced a brief court hearing via video link on Monday afternoon where he did not apply for bail. It was formally refused. 

No further details of Ms Cheng’s alleged murder were discussed during the court hearing.

Emergency services were called to the family home on Patrick Avenue, in the city’s northeast, at about 10.15pm on Saturday night.

It’s understood forensic officers were met with an ‘extremely graphic’ scene with bloodstained items taken from the townhouse in evidence bags as specialist detectives combed the property for clues.

Brown was a senior lecturer specialising in social media at Deakin University in Melbourne and taught upwards of 500 students a semester

Brown was a senior lecturer specialising in social media at Deakin University in Melbourne and taught upwards of 500 students a semester

Bags of children’s toys were also taken from the scene. Videos Brown shared from inside his home showed walls lined with toys and games in shared living spaces.

A neighbour reportedly gave the mother-of-two CPR for 15 minutes before paramedics arrived but she could not be revived.

Others recalled hearing a woman scream, with one saying they had mistaken the commotion for animals screeching in the night.

Brown’s case will return to court in September. Prosecutors must present a brief of evidence by August. 

A neighbour reportedly gave the mother-of-two CPR for 15 minutes before paramedics arrived but was unable to revive her

A neighbour reportedly gave the mother-of-two CPR for 15 minutes before paramedics arrived but was unable to revive her

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