The family of a murdered mother say justice has finally been served, after her estranged husband was sentenced over the 2007 killing. Cindy Crossthwaite was shot dead in her Melbourne home, with the case remaining a mystery until a breakthrough six years ago.
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00:01Relief for a family after years of pain.
00:05It's taken its toll, but eventually justice has been done.
00:11Nearly two decades after Cindy Crossthwaite was shot dead,
00:15her former husband Emil Petrov was sentenced to 26 years.
00:19I've dreamt about this most of my life and it's done.
00:24A bit underwhelmed by the sentence, I thought he was going to get a lot more.
00:28The mother of three was executed in her home.
00:31Her body was found by her father, just metres away from her infant son.
00:36At the time, Miss Crossthwaite was in a bitter custody and property dispute with Petrov.
00:41It's been so hard knowing that he was guilty from the time I found her body.
00:46But police couldn't be so sure.
00:49The investigation went cold and a million dollar reward was offered.
00:53Petrov was eventually arrested in 2019.
00:56This was a case filled with legal twists and turns.
01:00Initially, Petrov and his friend Brian O'Shea were charged with murder.
01:04But the case against O'Shea was dropped when he struck a deal with prosecutors
01:08and agreed to testify against Petrov.
01:11Last year, Petrov and his current wife lapped up the attention during his trial.
01:15But the limelight hasn't been so appealing since a jury found him guilty.
01:19Do you think Emile's innocent of these charges?
01:23In sentencing, Justice Christopher Beale said he wasn't convinced Petrov pulled the trigger himself,
01:28saying it was possible he'd organised someone else to do his dirty work.
01:33I know he committed it, whether the judge has that belief or not.
01:38Petrov continues to maintain his innocence.
01:41He'll be in his 80s by the time he's released.
01:44He didn't make it, he made it!
01:49The Rob Daniels
01:51And Did He altre