Man, 75, Cleared of Murdering Childhood Sweetheart-Turned-Wife after Handwritten Note Found

A 75-year-old man accused of killing his childhood sweetheart and wife of 52 years has had his case reviewed after a significant piece of evidence came to light, which might clear his name.

David Hunter and his wife, Janice, lived near Paphos in December 2021 when she died from cancer. In the days leading up to her death, David cared for Janice at their home.

However, after Janice died, David admitted to suffocating his wife with a pillow, adding that it was assisted suicide. A neighbor of the couple, Helmut Kesting, said Janice asked her husband not to take her to the hospital.

Talking about the couple he had known quite well as they lived alongside each other, Kesting said that David was a reasonable, reliable man who made it possible for his wife not to have to go to the hospital. He remarked:

“To look after Janice was a very demanding job and I think David did this very well.”

Kesting also shared that he had never heard any shouting or fighting from the Hunters’ home and believed they had lived in harmony until Janice passed away in December 2021.

Prior to her death, Janice had been diagnosed with rare blood cancer, although doctors weren’t sure that her condition was terminal. However, David shared that his wife had pleaded with him to help end her life so she would not suffer.

Kesting attested that Janice had become increasingly depressed as her illness progressed, yet he confirmed that David never complained about having to act as his wife’s caretaker.

Janice’s hairdresser also gave testimony, saying that her client had been in severe pain and could not sleep in the last months of her life due to this pain. The hairdresser, Anna Isaia, said Janice realized she had limited time left on earth as she struggled to walk.

Shortly after David admitted that he had a hand in his wife’s assisted suicide, he was charged with the murder of his partner. Now, the judge in charge of the case has charged David with a lesser charge of manslaughter due to new evidence, which may result in a plea deal.

While her mother and father had retired to Cyprus, Janice and David’s daughter, Lesley Cawthorne, pleaded with the Cypriot authorities to show her father compassion during this difficult time.

Lesley admitted that she was grateful to Cyprus for giving her parents a wonderful retirement and said that while her entire family respected their laws and customs, her father did something he felt he had no choice but to do.

The couple’s daughter said her father was a good man who was no threat to anybody and pleaded with the Cypriot officials not to allow her father to spend the rest of his limited time on earth in prison.

Lesley begged the Cypriot authorities to allow her father to return to his family in Britain, where he would spend the rest of his life. A recent development in the case may allow just this to happen for the family.

Although the husband spent some time with the lesser charge of manslaughter against his name, a recent discovery has proved that David and Janice had made a suicide pact, proving that the widower had not set out to murder his wife.

A suicide note was found, which contained the words: “My wife is in so much pain. She has asked me to help her, so we did this together.” Judges believed this proved that David wanted to end his wife’s suffering.

Lesley became emotional at the thought of her father finally hearing that the judges believed he never intended to harm his wife. Although he took her life, David insisted that he merely intended to end his wife’s suffering.

Lesley confirmed that even if her father never walked free, she knew it would mean the world to him if the judges believed that he would never have murdered his wife. However, she said if her father did walk free, it would feel like the family had their lives back.

On the morning of the verdict, Lesley confessed that she could feel her spirit for the first time since her mother died, noting that she felt the calmness she always saw her mother exhibit. She felt her mother was there to help her and her father through the ordeal without becoming overwhelmed by it all. She shared:

“All morning, I’ve really felt like my mom’s with me.”

As for David, he said he did not remember writing the note as he was in an altered state of mind due to the large amount of drugs that he took after having to assist his wife in her suicide. However, the note proved that it was not a premeditated murder, according to the judges.

The judge said David loved his wife and did something he never thought he would be capable of, just so that his wife no longer had to suffer, and then tried to kill himself with a concoction of medication. However, because the police arrived quickly on the scene, he was saved.

Judge Michalis Droussiotis said it was not premeditated as a premeditated murder was an act that was thought of beforehand and “executed in cold.” None of the above described what David and Janice did together.

Talking about how the initial ruling had affected her father’s life, Lesley said that her father has had a horrible few years. First, he was locked inside with the rest of the world when the pandemic hit. After that, he spent most of his time caring for Janice. Most recently, he has had to face life in prison for wanting to end his wife’s suffering.

With everything else that he has gone through, the agonizing 19 months David has spent trying to prove his innocence has cost him almost his entire life’s savings. He has been unable to afford phone calls in prison or even to purchase anything other than the meager portions of food offered for free in prison.

Although a crowdfunding account was set up to help David, it has been drained of funds due to the many legalities that have taken place over the last 19 months. Lesley has no clue how they will make it through this ordeal financially, noting that it will cost them thousands.

When discussing the last day of his wife’s life, David said it was unbearable for them both. He recalled waking up and going to make a cup of coffee, hearing his wife crying out in agony. When he got to the next room, he used a bench to support himself as he listened to his wife sob.

David admitted that his wife had begged him to assist her in committing suicide for six weeks because she was in so much pain. He shared:

“She wasn’t just my wife; she was my best friend. She wasn’t crazy, you haven’t seen the strain of the last six years, what she’s gone through. The situation, the pressure. I wouldn’t like anyone to go through the last six months we both went through.”

Now that the note has been found, David could walk free again soon. Lesley is hopeful that once her father feels he has spent enough time at Janice’s grave, he will return to the UK to live with his family.

People who have been following the case have said how wonderful it is for this “poor man” to be able to be believed and for him to possibly walk free in his late 70s. Unfortunately, David and Janice’s story is not the only one of childhood sweethearts with a tragic end. You can read another story like there here.