A Scots has been jailed for 20 years after being convicted of killing his paralysed wife in the United States.
Wayne Fraser, originally from Mintlaw, in Aberdeenshire, shot his wheelchair-bound spouse Natalie Ryan-Fraser the day after the pair had gone out for a romantic meal in Mississippi on December 30, 2021.
During his trial in Lowndes County Court House he was accused of killing the university professor with a handgun in Caledonia, Mississippi. Now after just three hours of deliberations, WCBI reports how the jury found Fraser guilty of manslaughter.
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The 47-year-old had been accused of first-degree murder but was acquitted of that charge. He has now been handed the maximum 20-year prison sentence by judge James T Kitchens Jr.
Fraser's multi-millionaire brother-in-law testified against him during the trial. Texas-based entrepreneur George Brinton “Brint” Ryan, whose company is believed to be worth $2.5 billion, said Fraser had told him that Natalie had shot herself when he called on the morning of her death. Mr Ryan said he panicked and called emergency services.
It's understood that Natalie, 55, was discovered dead at an apartment on Cedar Street, Caledonia, after Lowndes County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a welfare concern.
Cops reportedly found a 9mm handgun at the scene and arrested Wayne Fraser, who had a job in the area and lived there part-time. He was later charged with murder in the first degree. The day before her death, Natalie had checked the pair into a steakhouse and sushi bar on Facebook, writing: “Dinner with my love”.
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The north-east man had been working as a foreman for an industrial painting and coating firm in Hamilton, Mississippi. The couple wed in 2014 and lived in Texas, where Natalie worked as a senior English lecturer at Angelo State University.
Local news channel WCBI broadcast the trial at Lowndes County Court House.
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