Twenty years on from death of his wife, 47-year-old Steven Fesus has been found guilty of her murder.
The decision was handed down on Tuesday afternoon to relieved family members of, then teenager, Jodie Fesus.
Mr Fesus was convicted of killing killed his wife in their home in Shellharbour, south of Sydney, in August 1997.
Tracey Smith (pictured), the sister of murdered 18-year-old, Jodie Fesus, celebrates outside court on Tuesday after Steven Fesus is found guilty of her murder
The murderer had filled out a form saying his wife was dead before her body had been even been found.
He was accused of becoming enraged after their relationship had deteriorated after months of squabbling and arguments that sometimes turned violent.
The former bouncer then drove the body of his 18-year-old wife Jodie to Seven Mile Beach, near Gerroa, and buried it in a shallow grave, the opening of his NSW Supreme Court trial heard in 2016.
Steve Fesus, 47, was found guilty of strangling his wife Jodie Fesus before burying her in a shallow grave in 1997
Fesus filled out a form saying his wife was dead, before her body was found
Fesus and his wife shared a bank account and soon after she went missing he tried to apply for a pension, Crown prosecutor Greg Smith SC said.
While filling out forms, he made a telling mistake and ticked the ‘no’ box when asked if his partner was still alive, the court heard.
When questioned about this by a friend, he became ‘flustered’, Mr Smith said.
Fesus was having problems altering his pension, as there was no proof his wife had died.
To resolve this, he returned to Jodie’s grave and partially uncovered her body.
‘So it would be discovered,’ Mr Smith said.
An anonymous male had also phoned in a tip about human remains at the beach.
Things were so bad between the couple, who had previously play wrestled in front of friends, that they were accusing each other of cheating and had not had sex since being married in May, 1997, the court heard.
Fesus and his wife shared a bank account and soon after she went missing he tried to apply for a pension
While filling out forms, he made a telling mistake and ticked the ‘no’ box when asked if his partner was still alive, the court heard
In February that year, during a play fight, Fesus had knocked out his wife to demonstrate a sleeper or choke hold, Mr Smith told the jury.
On the night before she went missing, Jodie and Fesus had argued at a friend’s home, enraging Fesus, the court heard.
Fuming, he strangled his wife, bundled her corpse into their family station wagon and drove her under the cover of darkness to the beach, where he buried her in the shallow grave, Mr Smith told the jury.
The next day he went to work briefly and was later seen cleaning their car and home at Mt Warrigal.
But despite his wife not being home all day, Fesus didn’t phone any of her friends or relatives, the court heard.
But he did call the local pizza shop.
Fesus was having problems altering his pension, as there was no proof his wife had died
To resolve this, he returned to Jodie’s grave and partially uncovered her body, according to the prosecution
The defence says Fesus and his wife had argued and had their disagreements, but their marriage was sound.
‘Mr Fesus did not do what he is accused of doing,’ defence barrister Grant Brady said.
No calls were made to anyone and Fesus had carried on with his day as usual because he simply thought his wife had left, he said.
‘He wasn’t particularly concerned,’ said.
The couple had met in July 1995 when Fesus was working as a bouncer at a Shellharbour club.
Fesus was 24 while Jodie was 16 and pregnant.
They married in May 1997, despite their relationship having soured in the weeks preceding it.
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.