Elderly husband, 81, arrested over wife’s murder more than 26 years ago
The elderly husband of murdered Sydney woman Denise Govendir has been arrested 26 years after her death, in a cold-case breakthrough.
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The elderly husband of murdered Sydney woman Denise Govendir has been arrested 26 years after her death, in a cold-case breakthrough.
Aaron Govendir, now age 81, was arrested in the Blue Mountains on Thursday morning by NSW Police homicide squad detectives.
He is expected to be charged with his wife’s murder.
Mrs Govendir was bludgeoned to death inside her Dover Heights home, in the city’s eastern suburbs, in March 1998.
Just after 2am that day, emergency services responded to reports of a home invasion on Dover Road, where they located the body of a 53-year-old Mrs Govendir.
Mr Govendir allegedly told police at the time that he and his wife had been assaulted by an unknown man who broke into their home by claiming to be the police.
He allegedly claimed the unknown man struck him and rendered him unconscious, before restraining him with cable ties.
The same unknown man then allegedly proceeded to seriously assault Mrs Govendir, before fleeing the scene in her car – a white 1997 Ford laser sedan.
Mr Govendir called police after he had allegedly regained consciousness and officers attached to Eastern Suburbs, assisted by State Crime Command Homicide detectives, commenced an investigation under Strike Force Gulak.
“On Saturday 21 March 1998 – 11 days later – detectives located and recovered the allegedly stolen car in Rose Bay, about 1.7km from the Dover Heights home,” NSW Police said in a statement.
A subsequent coronial inquest held between 2005 and 2008 confirmed Ms Govendir died as a result of blunt force head injury intentionally inflicted by a person or persons unknown.
In November 2023, the Homicide Squad with the NSW Government announced a $1 million reward for information that led to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Ms Govendir’s murder.
Investigation under Strike Force Gulak continue.
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