Husband who stabbed wife to death and manipulated their young child to maintain his web of lies jailed
Man killed his wife then coerced their young child to cover up his crime
- Robert Rhodes has been jailed for life for murdering his wife, Dawn, in 2016, after new evidence from their child revealed his manipulative cover-up.
- Rhodes stabbed his wife to death in their family home after discovering her affair, then wounded their child and coerced them into falsely claiming Dawn had attacked them both.
- He was initially acquitted of murder in 2017, but his deception unravelled when the child confessed the true events to a therapist four years later.
- Following a rare double jeopardy trial, Rhodes received a minimum sentence of 29 years and six months, also being found guilty of perjury, perverting the course of justice and child cruelty.
- The child, who suffered PTSD and lasting trauma, described being gaslighted and manipulated by Rhodes, while Dawn's mother expressed relief that her daughter's voice was finally heard.