Perth Man Convicted of Wife's Murder Four Decades After Disappearance
In a landmark verdict, a Perth man has been found guilty of murdering his wife nearly 40 years after she vanished from her Duncraig home. Raymond Reddington, 79, formerly known as Maxwell Robert Fulton, showed no reaction as the jury delivered the guilty decision after just four-and-a-half hours of deliberations.
The case centered on the disappearance of Sharon Fulton, a 39-year-old mother of four, who was last seen on March 18, 1986. She had left her home to drop off her youngest son, Heath, then aged three, in Wangara. Her husband reported her missing three days later, and no trace of her has ever been found.
Inconsistent Accounts and Motive Revealed
During the three-and-a-half week trial, the court heard that Reddington provided multiple conflicting stories about his wife's last known whereabouts. Initially, he told police he returned from work to find her gone, with clothes missing from her wardrobe. Later, he claimed he drove her to three different central Perth train stations, alleging she planned to leave with another man.
The State presented evidence that Reddington had a strong motive for the murder. About a year before her disappearance, Sharon Fulton had filed for divorce, seeking custody of their children and a property settlement that would require Reddington to pay maintenance. Although she did not pursue the application and was living with him at the time, prosecutors argued he stood to lose everything if the divorce proceeded.
Adding to the suspicion, it was revealed that Reddington took out a life insurance policy in his wife's name worth $120,000 in 1986 money, just weeks before she vanished.
DNA Evidence and Anonymous Letter
In a dramatic twist, the State accused Reddington of writing an anonymous stitch-up letter on the eve of a 2021 inquest into his wife's suspected death. The letter falsely claimed Sharon Fulton was murdered by a lover and her body hidden under a concrete slab at a Scarborough home. Forensic testing conclusively linked Reddington's DNA to the inside of the envelope, undermining his defense.
When questioned by police, Reddington feigned dementia and asserted he could not recall living in Western Australia after moving the family to Queensland. This behavior was highlighted by prosecutors as an attempt to evade accountability.
Defense Arguments and Alternative Theories
Defense counsel Jonathan Davies criticized the police investigation, describing it as inadequate and plagued by tunnel vision and confirmation bias. He suggested that Sharon Fulton could have been a victim of other notorious criminals, such as David and Catherine Birnie or the late suspected serial killer Terrence John Fisher.
The Birnies, a Perth couple, murdered four women in 1986. At the trial, three women testified about experiences they believed involved the Birnies, including Michelle Renwick, who described being stalked and her mother Cheryl Renwick vanishing in May 1986. However, these alternative theories did not sway the jury.
Reddington chose not to give evidence in his own defense. Wilful murder carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment in Western Australia, and he will be sentenced at a later date. The verdict brought gasps of relief from Sharon Fulton's supporters, including her son Heath, marking a long-awaited closure in a decades-old cold case.
