Jealous husband guilty of murder of University of Suffolk lecturer wife at their home in Colchester

A "jealous" has been found guilty of the murder of his university lecturer wife after growing suspicious that she was cheating on him.

Ertan Ersoy, 51, stabbed Dr Antonella Castelvedere repeatedly with a kitchen knife at their home, causing 15 areas of injury to her face, neck, chest and hands.

He had previously placed a listening device in their home in Colchester, Essex, but it had “proved no such thing” about Ersoy’s suspicions that his wife was being unfaithful, said prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC.

“In short and simple terms, we the prosecution say it was this defendant’s anger, jealousy and his failings that led to him killing his wife," the barrister said.

Dr Castelvedere, 52, a lecturer at the University of Suffolk who led an MA course in English and creative writing, was found dead on the kitchen floor of their home on 1 June last year.

Mr Paxton said Ersoy, also a lecturer and teaching fellow, had called emergency services and went out into the street and called for help after stabbing his wife.

Ersoy denied his wife’s murder but was found guilty following a trial, Essex Police said.

He had pleaded guilty to manslaughter and claimed in his defence he was suffering from an abnormality of mental functioning at the time, but this was rejected by jurors.

In a statement released through police, the family of Dr Castelvedere expressed their thanks for the “respect shown towards Antonella”.

They said this was “respect that Antonella did not have from her husband”.

They also thanked “all the people involved and the delicacy with which they communicated to us the developments of this tragic story”, adding: “Respect is important for those who remain.”

Det Ch Insp Ant Alcock, of the Kent and Essex serious crime directorate, said afterwards: “Ertan Ersoy is a clever, manipulative and calculated man, but his defence was based on a lie which was found out.

“He claimed he had an abnormality of mental functioning that substantially affected his judgment and self-control, this abnormality was described by experts as mild to moderate depression which the jury did not agree was sufficient to reduce his conviction to manslaughter.

“He was a man who sought to control his wife’s life and that ultimately culminated in a cruel and brutal attack in June last year.

“As an investigation team, we are very aware that no verdict will ever bring Antonella back but we hope that the jury’s decision will be of some comfort to [her family].”

Ersoy is due to be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday.

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