Man jailed for 1982 murder after case became podcast-famous

Chris Dawson, 74, has been jailed for 24 years for his wife’s murder, ending decades of speculation about Lynette Dawson’s 1982 disappearance. 

Dawson’s case became the subject of a popular crime podcast. 

A judge ruled the Australian man had killed his wife so he could continue his relationship with his teenage lover and babysitter. 

Mrs Dawson was just 33 when she vanished from her Sydney home, her body has never been found, and all the evidence in the trial was circumstantial. 

In his sentencing remarks on Friday, Justice Ian Harrison said Dawson’s crime was “self-indulgent brutality” that “was neither spontaneous nor unavoidable”.

Mr Dawson will be eligibl for parole after 18 years, meaning it’s likely he will die in prison. 

The Aussie was charged in 2018 after the podcast The Teacher’s Pet – by The Australian newspaper – garnered global attention and prompted a renewed investigation. 

Dawson denied having anything to do with his wife’s disappearance, he believes she had abandoned him and there two kids – possibly to join a religious cult.