Husband of University of Suffolk lecturer sentenced to life for her murder
The court heard 51 year old Ertan Ersoy stabbed Dr Antonella Castelvedere "many times" - causing injuries all over her body
A man who killed his wife and claimed he had acted in self-defence has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 25 years for her murder.
51 year old Ertan Ersoy, of Wickham Road in Colchester, was yesterday convicted of murdering Antonella Castelvedere, who was a lecturer at the University of Suffolk, on 1 June 2022.
He will serve 23 years and 224 days before being considered for parole, due to time already spent behind bars during the trial.
What happened?
Essex Police received a number of calls around 11.15am on 1st June last year, saying a serious incident had taken place in Wickham Road, Colchester.
Witnesses reported a man saying he had been attacked in his home and that he believed he had killed his wife.
Officers arrived at the scene within minutes and found Ersoy, who had been injured.
During a further search of the home, officers then found Antonella, who had been seriously injured.
Despite the best efforts of officers and medics at the scene, she died.
Ersoy was taken to hospital for treatment and was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Specialist investigators looking into the incident, and the lead up, found Ersoy had begun to believe that Antonella, 52, had been unfaithful.
In the months leading up to the incident, Ersoy had attempted to control his wife’s life and had used listening devices to record her conversations.
As a result of the investigative work, Ersoy was charged with murder.
On the first day of trial, on 2nd October, Ersoy entered a guilty plea to manslaughter, but Essex Police, in consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, opted to pursue a murder conviction.
It was a charge the jury at Chelmsford Crown Court found him guilty of yesterday.
In a statement, Antonella’s family said:
“The family thanks for the respect shown towards Antonella, respect that Antonella did not have from her husband, and for all the people involved, and the delicacy with which they communicated to us the developments of this tragic story.
“Respect is important for those who remain."
Detective Chief Inspector Ant Alcock, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, who led the investigation from the outset said:
“This is a tragic case in which a family has lost a mother, daughter and a sister. First and foremost, our thoughts remain with Antonella’s family and friends. I know her loss will continue to be felt by those close to her.
“Ertan Ersoy is a clever, manipulative and calculated man, but his defence was based on a lie which was found out. He claimed he had an abnormality of mental functioning that substantially affected his judgement and self-control, this abnormality was described by experts as mild to moderate depression which the jury did not agree was sufficient to reduce his conviction to manslaughter.
"He was a man who sought to control his wife’s life and that ultimately culminated in a cruel and brutal attack in June last year.
“As an investigation team, we are very aware that no verdict will ever bring Antonella back but we hope that the jury’s decision will be of some comfort to them."