An estranged husband who claimed he acted in self-defence when he hacked his wife to death has been found guilty of murder.
A Victorian Supreme Court jury took less than three hours to deliberate before convicting Dinush Kurera, 47, of murder on Friday.
He faced a month-long trial for the death of his wife Nelomie Perera.
Kurera admitted to killing her on December 3, 2022, but pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, claiming he acted in self-defense.
He took the stand during his trial and told the jury that Ms Perera had threatened him with a knife and bitten his finger during a heated argument at their Melbourne home.
He claimed he was afraid she would attack him when he grabbed an axe and hit her “just a couple of times.”
Ms Perera, 43, was found dead in a pool of blood with 35 separate wounds, prosecutors told jurors.
Kurera also denied assaulting his 17-year-old son by hitting him with an axe as the teenager tried to flee the house during the altercation.
A Victorian Supreme Court jury took less than three hours to deliberate before convicting Dinush Kurera, 47, of murder on Friday.
Kurera admitted to murdering his wife Nelomie Perera on December 3, 2022, but pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, claiming he acted in self-defense.
The jury retired to consider its verdicts on Friday after hearing four weeks of evidence, including that of Kurera’s teenage son and daughter.
The girl, who was 16 when her mother died, said she saw her father repeatedly hit Perera with a knife and an axe, while the boy said Kurera chased him with an axe and hit him as he tried to get help.
Ms Perera, 43, was found dead in a pool of blood with 35 separate wounds, prosecutors told jurors.
The jury returned its guilty verdict at 2 p.m. Friday after just under three hours of deliberation.
Jurors also found Kurera guilty of assaulting his son.
Kurera blinked and looked ahead as the verdicts were handed down.
He was returned to prison and will be sentenced at a later date.
