Duane Singrew guilty of murdering his wife

Update

GEORGE NEWS - The family and friends of the murdered Joan Singrew welcomed the verdict of guilt against her husband, Duane, and his cousin, Heinrich Jumat.

Judge André le Grange convicted Singrew and Jumat on charges of murder and defeating the administration of justice in the George Circuit High Court on Thursday 19 March.

In his judgment, Le Grange said the State’s case was largely based on circumstantial evidence.

However, he found its witnesses credible and their versions of the events consistent. The State also relied heavily on forensic evidence and video footage.

He described Singrew’s testimony as riddled with contradictions and found that Joan’s death was the result of a violent physical assault that led to strangulation.

Thereafter, Singrew and Jumat disposed of her body without any dignity in a gorge in Great Brak River.

Despite pleading not guilty, the court found the State had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, led by senior state advocate Evadne Kortje.

Kortje presented testimony from 19 witnesses, including forensic experts, vehicle navigation specialists, a medical doctor, neighbours, the deceased’s daughter from a previous marriage, and the accused’s cousin.

Joan had sustained multiple blunt force head injuries and contusions on her upper inner arm, and was manually strangled.

Her body was placed in her husband’s vehicle’s boot, transported from their Rosemore home in George to a secluded area in Great Brak River, and dumped over a steep gouge. The accused were shown to have driven the same route in different vehicles on separate days in their attempts to clean up the crime scene.

The trial also exposed a long history of domestic violence. The couple’s marriage was marked by verbal, physical and emotional abuse, with 10 cases previously opened at the Conville Police Station.

By 2016, both parties had obtained protection orders against each other, and by June 2024, Joan had initiated divorce proceedings.

Investigators discovered that matters had worsened when Joan met a male Facebook friend for coffee the day before her disappearance on 21 November 2024. Surveillance and testimony revealed that Singrew had followed the friend’s vehicle after it had dropped Joan off at home.

Her 16-year-old granddaughter was the last person to see her alive and communicate with her on WhatsApp that morning.

She was reported missing after failing to report to work, leading to the arrest of both accused on 29 November 2024.

Additional evidence showed traces of blood in the house and vehicle, a disordered bedroom, and unusual cleaning with chemical agents. The investigators confirmed that Joan had already been dead when her body was disposed of.

Kortje told the court that Singrew had killed his wife in a violent assault and involved his cousin, Jumat, in the crime, before attempting to cover up the evidence.

The sentencing is scheduled for 7 April.

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