U.S. man who killed wife on Fiji honeymoon gets life in prison
Bradley Dawson, 40, was convicted of killing wife Christe Chen, 36, in December 2024.
On Feb. Tuesday, he was sentenced to life in prison. Justice Riyaz Hamza, a judge in Fiji's Lautoka High Court, said that Dawson will have to serve a minimum of 18 years before he can be considered for a pardon, according to the Fiji Times.
Hamza said that the eight-day trial proved that Dawson engaged in conduct which caused Chen's death while they were staying at an exclusive island resort, the Fiji Times said. Hamza also said that Dawson intended to cause Chen's death or was reckless as to causing it, according to the Fiji Times.
Chen, a graduate of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, was working as a pharmacist at the time of her death, CBS affiliate WREG reported.
Members of the staff had heard the couple arguing before the murder, and Chen was found the next day by resort staff, with multiple blunt trauma wounds to her head. In 2022, a lawyer representing Christe Chen's parents said their daughter's body was so badly damaged that she couldn't be embalmed for return to the U.S. and her remains were cremated.
Dawson fled by kayak to a nearby island after he killed Chen. He was found about 36 hours after Chen's body was discovered, with his passport and other belongings with him. Hamza said this indicated he planned to flee.
"Your conduct after the incident was appalling. Having inflicted serious and life-threatening injuries to the deceased you fled the scene of the crime, leaving the deceased alone and helpless," Hamza said during the sentencing, in part, according to the Fiji Times.
Trump, Musk take questions at White House
Flu deaths outpace COVID deaths in 22 states for first time since pandemic began
New details on Trump's new tariffs memo as he meets with India's Modi
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Katrina Chen's kids' book tells of gender-based violence. It's a story she knows well
BURNABY - Former British Columbia legislator Katrina Chen sits on a couch in her Burnaby home, reading aloud from the children's book she's co-written. ''Maybe,' Mommy tells me, 'It's time for a stronger house. We leave everything behind. And we go.'' The mother and son in the story, 'A Stronger Home,' co-written with Elaine Su, turn their backs on a scene of domestic turmoil: a broken vase, furniture overturned, sofa cushions in disarray. 'I wrote this book as a survivor of gender-based violence with personal experiences about how violence has touched and impacted my whole life,' said Chen, B.C.'s former minister of state for child care. She considers the scene by artist Delphie Coté-Lacroix, showing the mother and son's exit, to be among the most powerful in the book — having the courage and strength to leave a violent situation is not easy, she said. Chen, who also has a young son, sees the problem as an urgent one, pointing to a recent spate of alleged intimate partner violence in B.C. This month alone, there has been the killing of an 80-year-old Abbotsford woman and the death of her husband in what police consider a murder-suicide; the killing in a Richmond apartment of a 51-year-old woman whose partner has been charged with second-degree murder; and the death of Bailey McCourt, allegedly beaten to death in a Kelowna parking lot by her estranged husband, James Plover, also charged with second-degree murder. Chen said it was 'totally heartbreaking and unacceptable' to hear of such tragedies, and society needed to see the violence as an emergency. She and other advocates want changes to the legal and social justice systems to prevent it from continuing. 'Gender-based violence is a form of violence that's the most pervasive and most persistent,' said Chen. 'It's the longest human rights violation throughout human history.' Chen, who represented the riding of Burnaby-Lougheed until last year, was best known in B.C. as an advocate for the NDP government's $10-a-day childcare program, as well as co-chairing Premier David Eby's campaign to lead the party. But in 2022, Chen announced she was taking herself out of contention for a new ministerial position, revealing she wanted 'time and space to heal' from the trauma of gender-based violence. 'I have long-term trauma that has yet to be fully unpacked,' she said at the time. Chen said in a recent interview that she was a victim of gender-based violence during her childhood, but she never talked about the trauma until she was hurt again in her late 30s. 'I started realizing that the impact of violence can really impact a whole person's career, your life choices,' said Chen. She said it was important to break the cycle of violence from generation to generation. But opening up isn't easy — revealing emotional scars came with misunderstanding, judgment, and stigma, said Chen. 'I was very little when I was first touched by gender-based violence, and as I was growing up and realizing what was happening to me, I questioned myself, I judged myself,' said Chen. 'A SAFER WAY TO LIVE' It's a feeling that Sarah Sherman has struggled with, too. In 2004, her husband, Jeff Bethell, attacked her in her Nanaimo, B.C., home, tied her up, and tried to kill her. She freed herself and alerted police, but when Bethell saw a police car, he crashed his own vehicle, killing himself and a four-year-old boy in a car he struck. Sherman said she lived with 'shame and guilt for many years,' relocating to New Brunswick to escape the past and be 'invisible' again. 'Some people were critically injured. They lost their child. How do I ever make up for that?' said a tearful Sherman, 'I can't, I can't, and that is the most heartbreaking part.' Sherman is the founder of charity We're Here for You, which provides comfort kits to survivors of intimate partner violence. She believes sharing can empower other victims. 'When we share truthfully and authentically, we give other people hope, possibly inspire them to find a better way or a safer way to live.' On the legal front, there has been some progress. Last year, B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma appointed lawyer Kim Stanton to conduct an independent review of the B.C. legal system's treatment of intimate partner violence and sexual violence. Stanton said she found numerous barriers to action and made nine recommendations to help survivors, including an increased focus on prevention, reform in the courts, and legal aid funding for family law services. Chen called it a good start. She also said the reform process could not involve a better person than Sharma, who supported her personally while she was struggling with violence. 'But we need actions,' said Chen. She would like to see all the proposals in Stanton's report enacted, she said. Sharma said 'the work is underway,' and a team within ministries, including hers, was looking at how to implement the recommendations. 'I've seen that there are gaps in the justice system that we need to change,' she said. Sharma said she pressed for changes to the Criminal Code to improve risk assessments when she attended last month's first minister's meeting in place of Eby, who was overseas. 'In particular, what I'm asking to see changed is changing it so after the person's convicted, the bail conditions are looked at so they are held based on the risk that they pose, instead of them being released until sentencing,' said Sharma, adding that this period is usually 'the riskiest time' for the victim. The killing of McCourt in Kelowna had occurred a few hours after Plover was convicted of a separate assault; there was no discussion of keeping him in custody, a recording of the hearing revealed. Eby said last week that he had delivered a letter from McCourt's family to Prime Minister Mark Carney, who had committed to bail reform 'on multiple occasions.' Sharma said she plans to meet with Justice Minister Sean Fraser soon to continue such conversations. 'I think that anybody who has known somebody who's been the victim of intimate partner violence, or anybody who's been a victim themselves, understands that the system doesn't take the crime as seriously as it should,' said Sharma. 'And that makes me angry.' Chen, who is now president of An Xin Community Savings Credit Union in Richmond, said her recovery journey isn't easy, but she is grateful for community support. 'It took me a while to understand how important it is to find my own sense of self and reflect on what I truly want in life — rather than simply reacting to what has happened to me, like constantly feel angry, hurt or sad.' she said. 'With the support of family, friends, counselling and coaching — and knowing I am not alone — I began to focus on my own well-being.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
4 days ago
Witness recounts Midtown Manhattan office building shooting: 'I texted my parents that I loved them'
Jessica Chen was watching a presentation on the second floor of 345 Park Ave. in Midtown Manhattan on Monday evening with about 150 people when she said she heard multiple gunshots fired"in quick succession" on the floor below her. She rushed into a conference room with dozens of others, where they eventually barricaded themselves in the room using tables and "just stayed still," she told ABC News Live in a phone interview Monday night. "I think it was very, very apparent through all this that a lot of us were young, a lot of us went through training in elementary school of what to do in an active shooter situation," she said. "We were all unfortunately prepared." A man wearing body armor and carrying a high-powered rifle had shot and killed at least four people, including an off-duty police officer working security at the building, police sources told ABC News. After apparently barricading himself on the 33rd floor, the suspect was found dead from what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, sources added. Amid the active situation, people desperately searched for places to hide in the conference room on the second floor, Chen said. "We were hiding behind the large monitor. A lot of people were on the ground. We flipped a lot of the tables up," she said. "Some people, if they were a bit later getting there, they really, unfortunately, had to just pull curtains over themselves." Chen said someone in the room with her had a "direct line" with police who were able to update them as the incident unfolded and told them to stay in place. She said a lot of people were also on their phones, checking for updates on the situation and reaching out to loved ones. "I texted my parents that I loved them," she said. "I texted people good in my life that I love them." She said those in the room tried to help each other stay calm as much as possible. "We were honestly really, really scared," she said. "Every American has likely thought through the situation of what should they do if an active shooter happened? I've gone through some semi-close cases in elementary school, but even then, nothing could have prepared any of us." "I think all of us were frozen," she continued. "All of us were shocked. Nothing could describe that feeling." Once they confirmed the shooter was on the 33rd floor, police had them walk out slowly in an orderly fashion, she said. She said she wasn't wearing shoes when she left and stepped on glass, though was otherwise doing OK. "I think that a lot of the people I've talked to, we're all coming to the same conclusion that this happens too often in America," Chen said. "We really do thank all the schools from across America that make sure to very regularly train their students on exactly what to do in situations like this." "It's very unfortunate that all Americans have had to think it through, but it is the reality of the world we live in," she added.
Black America Web
18-07-2025
- Black America Web
Black Woman Sues University Of Michigan For ‘Racist' Firing
Source: Nic Antaya / Getty A Black woman who was the former head of the University of Michigan's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) office is suing the school, alleging she was discriminated against when the school fired her for antisemitic remarks she said she never made. According to the Detroit Free Press, Rachel Dawson attended an academic conference in March 2024 when she was approached by two women asking her how the school was planning to address antisemitism. The women allege Dawson, who then ran University of Michigan's Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, responded by saying 'The university is controlled by wealthy Jews' and 'We don't work with Jews.' Dawson has a different recollection of the events and denies ever making remarks of the sort. From Detroit Free Press: Dawson said she remembered talking with the two women who accused her, but her recollection of the conversation was far different. She said that when the two women heard she was from U-M, they approached her to discuss rumors of antisemitism on campus. Dawson said she told them that the school was doing its best to combat antisemitism and all forms of discrimination. She noted that the school had recently opened the Raoul Wallenberg Institute to promote tolerance and that Jewish students had access to support groups like Hillel . Dawson's suit said the women became hostile, began berating her and even followed her out of the room when she tried to end the conversation. Days later, back at U-M, Dawson said she learned that the women had contacted the Anti-Defamation League, which filed a complaint about her with then-President Santa Ono. 'I am aware of several non-Black employees of the university who have been the subject of similar complaints about their behavior, and none have been terminated,' Dawson wrote in a statement to the school before her disciplinary hearing. 'The allegations against me illustrate how racial and gender biases can shape the interpretation of events and statements, especially for Black women in positions of authority.' Call me racist, but I'm much more inclined to believe that a group of white women got offended that a Black woman didn't say exactly what they wanted to hear, instead of a Black woman, in a position of power, willfully throwing that out the window to say something heinously antisemitic in a professional setting. Just saying, we didn't coin the term 'Karen' because entitled white women don't exist. Moving on, Dawson alleges the University of Michigan didn't follow its usual disciplinary steps when it comes to investigating incidents like these. The school hired an outside law firm, Covington & Burling LLP, to investigate instead of doing it in-house. Covington & Burling also represented the ADL in this case, which Dawson's lawyers allege to be a conflict of interest. The law firm's report acknowledged that Dawson and the women had differing accounts of the incident but found 'the weight of the available evidence supports the conclusion that Ms. Dawson made the statements attributed to her in the ADL Michigan letter.' Tabbye Chavous, Dawson's supervisor, was skeptical of how the investigation was being conducted and the findings in the final report. Chavous wrote a letter to the University of Michigan's then-President Santa Ono saying that 'Based on all information available to me, I would respectfully disagree with the conclusion drawn from the report.' 'It is obvious that this is not consistent with our normal processes for investigating alleged similar conduct of employees in a similar position as Ms. Dawson at an off-campus conference,' Chavous wrote. 'Why is the process for this situation and employee seemingly different from similar kinds of allegations and issues with others and how they are dealt with normally?' After the investigation, Chavous issued Dawson a warning and ordered her to complete anti-bias training. Usually, this would be where the story ends, but not in the case of Dawson. When word of the disciplinary action reached the University of Michigan's Board of Regents, Regent Mark Bernstein wrote, 'that the only acceptable outcome would be for Ms. Dawson to be 'terminated immediately.'' By December 2024, Dawson was fired from her position. Being prejudiced against someone for their race, religion, gender, or sexuality is the weakest thing a person can do. Yet it's interesting that whenever a white man is accused of racism, all he's expected to do is take an anti-bias class, make an apology, and the consequences are waved away. What Dawson is accused of is objectively awful, yet one can't help but see the double standard in how she's being treated compared to the multitudes of white men who have actually been recorded saying equally if not more heinous things and are still given chance after chance to redeem themselves. The University of Michigan has stood by its decision to fire Dawson. 'Rachel Dawson was appropriately terminated from her employment at the University of Michigan,' school spokeswoman Kay Jarvis told the Free Press in an email. 'We will vigorously defend this matter.' Dawson filed her lawsuit in federal court and intends to file a state court discrimination claim as well. Dawson's suit asks the court to declare the University of Michigan violated her civil rights and to award her an undisclosed amount in damages. SEE ALSO: UVA President Resigns Over Trump's Anti-DEI Investigation UNC Asheville Dean Of Students Fired For Pro-DEI Comments SEE ALSO Black Woman Sues University Of Michigan For 'Racist' Firing was originally published on
