Husband claimed he'd 'disposed' of his wife after brutally stabbing her 77 times when she tried to leave him is jailed for life

A coercive and controlling husband who murdered his wife by stabbing her 77 times and inflicting blunt force trauma with a dog food can has been jailed for life. Robert Alexander, 66, attacked retired nurse Christina Alexander, 60, at their home in Tamworth just as she was about to walk out on their six-year marriage in June last year.Jurors unanimously convicted Alexander of murder in June this year after a 14-day trial was told Ms Alexander suffered 'catastrophic' injuries to her face, neck, body, arms and legs. A post-mortem examination also found signs of strangulation. Alexander then callously told police 'I've disposed of my wife', claiming that she had attacked him first with a knife. He later claimed in court that he could not remember what had happened after he had been hit in the stomach and 'lost the plot'. Passing a sentence of life with a minimum term of 20 years at Stafford Crown Court today, Judge Avik Mukherjee told Alexander that the evidence in the case showed he was aware that his partner was planning to leave him.The judge told the killer, who was wearing a grey T-shirt and stared at the floor for much of the hearing: 'I am sure that you intended to kill Christina due to the extent of the injuries that you inflicted upon her and also the ways in which you attacked her.'The court heard that Alexander, a retired mechanic, had been convicted of battery against Ms Alexander following an attack in September 2020. A year later she told police that she was 'living under constant physical threat' while financially dependent on her husband.She had planned to leave him and told her sister, 'the sooner he is out of my life the better', but added: 'I'll probably be dead before then.'The court heard that in an effort to stop his wife leaving him, Alexander had twice self-harmed in the days leading up to the murder.He then tricked his wife into thinking he was still in hospital when she returned to the family home on June 23 last year - and ambushed her with a kitchen knife as she tried to leave the address. Robert Alexander, 66, attacked retired nurse Christina Alexander, 60, at their home in Tamworth just as she was about to walk out on their six year marriage in June last year Ms Alexander was described by her grieving family as the 'main piece of their family jigsaw' Her brother told the court: 'Tina always wanted to help people. She was a second mum to us while our mother was working long hours as a nurse'Prosecutor Rebecca Wade KC said the murder followed a period of 'controlling and coercive behaviour and sustained violence towards his wife'.The attempts on his own life were, she said, 'purely manipulative'. He was said to have beem obsessed with money and the need to protect his inheritance from his wife.Alexander, who had a late diagnosis of autism, claimed the condition had affected his behaviour. But sentencing him today, the judge said there was no reason why autism should make someone violent.In a moving victim impact statement read to the hearing, Ms Alexander's brother Neil Murphy said she had been the 'main piece of their family jigsaw'.He said that his sister, the eldest of five siblings, was like 'a second mum to her younger brothers and sisters'.She had helped him when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and her loss had left another of their siblings wanting to take her own life.He told the court: 'Tina always wanted to help people. She was a second mum to us while our mother was working long hours as a nurse.'Mr Murphy said the family had struggled to tap into their happy memories due to the horror of their sister's end.'I never understood how malicious the attack on Tina was,' he said. 'I think of Tina's last living moments being attacked in such a cold and callous way. It chills me to the bone.'He said that Alexander, who had met his sister online dating in 2018, had a 'controlling, egotistical personality'.The judge paid tribute to Ms Alexander's family and friends, saying: 'Losing Christina in such a way has been shattering for her family and friends. Their grief is palpable.'Following the hearing, Det Supt Charlotte Naughton, who led the investigation, said: 'This was a devastating incident, where Christina's life was violently ended too soon.'No sentence will bring Christina back, however I hope our investigation is able to provide some closure to Christina's loved ones.'Domestic abuse remains one of the most harmful and pervasive crimes we face. Warwickshire Police is committed to taking robust action against those who perpetrate abuse, controlling behaviour and violence.'