Grafton wife killer, John Edwards, appeals decision

A man jailed for killing his wife – a beloved north coast schoolteacher – has once again protested his innocence as he appealed his murder conviction.

A man’s conviction for the murder of his wife, a beloved Grafton schoolteacher, has been upheld after his appeal was dismissed in the Court of Criminal Appeal.

John Wallace Edwards, 65, attempted to have his murder conviction overturned in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal on February 14, 2022.

Edwards was convicted and jailed for 24 years in 2019 at Coffs Harbour District Court after he was found guilty at trial of murdering his wife, 55-year-old Sharon Edwards.

The court had then heard Edwards killed his wife of 33 years in a jealous rage after learning she wished to move on with a man she had previously had an affair with earlier in their marriage.

Mr Wallace’s grounds for appeal were that there was an availability of a verdict of manslaughter and that the trial judge could have taken some actions to improve his chances of being given a manslaughter verdict.

The trial judge directed the jury if they were satisfied it was murder then there was no consideration to be given for manslaughter. Manslaughter was before the jury as an alternative to murder.

All four grounds of appeal were rejected and a decision to dismiss the appeal was made on February 14, 2022.

More to come.