Evil husband who strangled and then shot his estranged wife in the head at close range learns his fate 17 years after the gruesome crime
A man who murdered his estranged wife amid a bitter legal dispute has been jailed for at least two decades.
Emil ‘Bill’ Petrov, 61, looked straight ahead as Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale handed down the maximum 26-year sentence on Wednesday morning.
Petrov will be eligible for parole after 20 years.
He maintains he did not kill Cindy Crossthwaite, 41, at her Melton South home in June 2007 but a jury found him guilty in December of her murder.
The mother-of-three’s body was found by her father under a blanket in the lounge room, with blood splatters across the windows.
She had been choked and shot in the head from about 15cm away, the jury was told.
Petrov and Ms Crossthwaite separated in 2005 after being married for nearly a decade, and were facing Family Court hearings in the month before her death to divide up their assets.
The court case was adjourned to July of that year and prosecutors argued Petrov was aware his financial interests would be adversely affected when the proceedings resumed.
Mother-of-three Cindy Crossthwaite (pictured) was killed by her estranged husband Emil ‘Bill’ Petrov in June 2007 amid Family Court hearings following their 2005 separation
Petrov is pictured outside the Victorian Supreme Court in November last year. He will spend at least two decades behind bars after Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale handed down a maximum 26-year prison sentence on Wednesday
Cindy’s son Jonas Hinds (right) is seen arriving at court for Petrov’s sentencing
It was alleged the legal battle was a significant part of Petrov’s motive for murder, but he denied causing Ms Crossthwaite’s death.
Ms Crossthwaite’s family and friends gasped out ‘Yes’ and hugged as the sentence was handed down.
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