Robert Alexander, 66, was ‘motivated by money’ and his determination to stop his wife leaving him when he stabbed her to death at their home in Tamworth, a court heard
A man who stabbed a woman 78 times before telling police “I’ve disposed of my wife” has been convicted of her murder.
Robert Alexander, 66, was motivated by money when he killed nurse Christina Alexander at their home in Dosthill in Tamworth in June 2025, a court heard.
Mrs Alexander, 60, was repeatedly stabbed in the face, neck, body, arms and legs, leaving her with “catastrophic” injuries.
The trial at Stafford Crown Court heard that the defendant had been threatening and violent to his wife on a number of occasions, but tried to convince the jury he had acted in self-defence.
Alexander admitted he had changed his clothes after the killing, put the bins out, and sat in the lounge with his dogs before calling 999. He “calmly” told police he had killed his wife and referred to issues surrounding money and control, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
Alexander told officers after his arrest: “It’s all to do with money, dictating to me how I spend my inheritance. She came into my life about eight years ago with nothing.”
Prosecution counsel Rebecca Wade KC said that rather than demonstrating remorse, Alexander called his wife an “evil bitch”. He then remained silent in four police interviews after he was legally represented.
Ms Wade told jurors the defendant had murdered his wife “as a result of a murderous rage that she was going to leave him and take money from him”.
Police had been called to the couple’s home address in Ascot Drive multiple times, including in September 2020 when Alexander put his wife in a headlock, strangled her and bit her cheek and threatened to kill a neighbour when they heard what was going on.
He was convicted of battery following the incident and given a community order.
In June 2021, Mrs Alexander called 999 after her husband picked up an iron bar and waved it at her following an argument about DIY.
She told police she was living under the constant threat of violence from her husband. No further action was taken due to a lack of evidence, but Alexander was issued with a domestic violence protection order.
During his trial, Alexander claimed he had acted in self-defence, saying Ms Alexander had reached for a knife first. He also argued that depression and autism reduced his responsibility.
But medical experts concluded he was only suffering from mild depression and found no evidence of an abnormality of mind, the CPS said.
Mrs Alexander feared she would have nowhere to live if she left her husband as she was financially dependent on him despite working. But by 2025, she had begun taking steps to leave the relationship, including consulting a solicitor and making financial arrangements to live independently.
The CPS said dashcam footage from her car captured her telling her sister: “I’ll probably be dead before then.”
Days after being discharged from hospital following a second incident in which Alexander had harmed himself in an attempt to manipulate or control his wife, he killed her at their home in the early hours of June 23 last year.
Narmina Rafiq from the CPS said: “This was a complex and challenging prosecution involving detailed psychiatric evidence and conflicting expert opinion about Robert Alexander’s mental state.
“Alexander told different stories to different people and changed his version of events when it suited him. The jury carefully considered all of the evidence and rejected his claims of self-defence and diminished responsibility.
“We were able to demonstrate that his actions were driven by control, both over his wife and over money, and that his self-harm formed part of that pattern, rather than being the result of a serious mental disorder.
“Our thoughts remain with the family and loved ones of Christina Alexander. She was a nurse who spent her life caring for others, and her loss is deeply felt.
“We hope this outcome provides some measure of justice for her family, particularly her siblings who supported the prosecution throughout.
“This case highlights how controlling and abusive behaviour can escalate and demonstrates that even where complex mental health evidence is considered, individuals will be held accountable where the evidence supports it.”
Alexander will be sentenced on a date to be confirmed.
