Robert Crawford used phone during hours he claims to have slept
Phone records show Robert Crawford unlocked his device and used messaging between 2:35am and 3:20am when he said he was asleep.
Robert John Crawford is accused of murdering his wife Frances by strangulation at their property west of Brisbane in July 2024. Robert Crawford claims she died in a lawnmower accident.
Police analyst Sean Dalton testified that phone data showed Crawford unlocked his device at 1:09am and 1:50am. Between 2:35am and 3:20am, Crawford unlocked his phone multiple times and opened messaging app Signal.
Dalton told the jury that manual phone interaction was required to produce this data pattern. Crawford told police he was a heavy sleeper and woke 'sometime in the middle of the night' to find his wife gone.
He called emergency services at 3:35am. The trial is continuing in Brisbane Supreme Court.
- 1:09am, 1:50am, then 2:35am-3:20am
- Phone unlocks documented
- 3:35am
- Emergency call
- 4am
- Body discovered
- July 30, 2024
- Alleged date of death
Why it mattersPhone forensics can confirm or contradict alibis in serious crimes; this evidence directly challenges the defendant's account of events.
AustraliaThe trial demonstrates how smartphone forensics are now central to Australian criminal investigations and the prosecution of murder cases.
Corroborated by7NEWS
