Emil Petrov found guilty of murdering estranged wife Cindy Crossthwaite in 2007

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Nearly two decades after a woman was found shot and beaten to death inside her home, a man has been found guilty of her murder. There were emotional scenes inside Victoria’s supreme court, when the jury found Emil Petrov guilty of the 2007 crime.

Transcript

00:00Emil Petrov entered court via the front door. He left in a prison van.

00:07This afternoon a jury ruled the 60-year-old was responsible for killing his estranged

00:11wife in 2007. Cindy Crosthwaite was found by her father.

00:16She'd been shot in the head and bashed. Today's guilty verdict brought sheer relief

00:21for Cindy's family. It's just been a long time coming, so we're

00:26just so happy she gets justice. Cindy's killing went unsolved for years, but

00:31her family never gave up their quest for answers. Whoever done this is a monster.

00:39She was just so loving and caring. She just loved us so much.

00:44The breakthrough came in 2019 when police arrested Emil Petrov, but it took another

00:49five years for his case to reach a Supreme Court trial. For four weeks he arrived supported

00:55by his girlfriend. Prosecutors alleged that Petrov murdered his former wife during a custody

01:00dispute over children and properties. A key moment came when Petrov's former friend turned

01:06on him, telling the jury Petrov purchased a gun before the killing.

01:11It took the jury more than a week to decide that Petrov was guilty of murder. When the

01:15verdict came down, he looked at his girlfriend and shook his head in disbelief.

01:20Petrov's father was also in court. His reaction to the verdict was to pump his fists.

01:25It's just amazing for all women who have been violated by men, domestic violence, it's good

01:32that the justice system stood up and they finally got him.

01:36The convicted killer will be sentenced next year.

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