by Emily Woods and Tara Cosoleto, AAP
A man accused of shooting his estranged wife dead amid a bitter court battle has been found guilty of her murder more than 17 years ago.
Emil “Bill” Petrov, 60, faced a three-week trial where prosecutors alleged he killed Cindy Crossthwaite, 41, at her Melton South home on June 20, 2007.
The mother-of-three’s body was found by her father under a blanket in the lounge room, with blood splatters across the windows.
The jury was told Ms Crossthwaite had been choked and shot in the head from about 15 centimetres away.
Prosecutor Mark Gibson argued Petrov fired the fatal shot but it was also open to the jury to find he committed the murder by arranging an unknown person to carry out the killing.
He told the jury Petrov and Ms Crossthwaite were married for almost 10 years before their separation in 2005.
They were facing Family Court hearings in May 2007 as they tried to divide up their assets, with Petrov arguing for several properties to be excluded as they were owned by his parents.
The case was adjourned to July of that year and Mr Gibson argued Petrov was aware his financial interests would be adversely affected when the proceedings resumed.
The prosecutor alleged the legal battle was the significant part of Petrov’s motive for murder.
But Petrov denied causing Ms Crossthwaite’s death, with his lawyers saying the extent of the couple’s property battle was disputed.
The defence also contested witness Brian O’Shea’s claims that Petrov had come to him to buy a gun in April or May 2007.
Mr O’Shea said Petrov had told him he would kill Ms Crossthwaite but he also conceded he was only giving evidence to avoid facing a murder charge.
The jurors returned their verdict against Petrov on Wednesday afternoon, just over a week after beginning deliberations.
Asked how they found him in response to the murder charge, the jury’s forewoman replied “guilty”.
Petrov looked at his girlfriend and wiped his face, appearing stressed, as the verdict was handed down.
He had previously been on bail and will now be taken to prison to await a pre-sentence hearing on March 21.
Ms Crossthwaite’s family hugged and wiped away tears as the verdict was handed down.
