Man kills wife with hammer and stores her in freezer. Then downloads Tinder two days later because he was ‘heartbroken’
Just days after killing his wife, he began swiping right on Tinder.
A British man accused of murdering his wife with a hammer and hiding her body somewhere where it couldn’t easily be found for several weeks had been given a life sentence. But before he confessed to committing the heinous crime, the man allegedly fabricated a story to their family and went to mend his broken heart by hopping on Tinder.
46-year-old David Barraclough from Horbury, Wakefield, reportedly murdered his wife and mother of three, Carolann Barraclough, at the family’s home sometime between Feb. 19 and Feb. 21 with a hammer, according to a press release by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Barraclough then tied up Carolann’s body before storing the corpse in a chest freezer located in their home’s utility room and barred the family from entering the room, the prosecution said.
To curb questions about Carolann’s whereabouts, Barraclough allegedly crafted an elaborate lie, reportedly telling friends, neighbors, and family, including her children, that his wife was admitted to a hospital due to an illness and that only he was able to visit her. He then used Carolann’s phone, pretending to be her, to send out messages assuring her children she would return home soon, before factory resetting it to supposedly hide evidence of his actions.
Barraclough alleged he was acting in self-defense
Just two days after Carolann’s death, Barraclough reportedly downloaded the Tinder app and began swiping away. In the weeks leading up to his arrest, bank records showed that Barraclough had made substantial cash withdrawals from the bank account he shared with his wife, while surveillance footage also showed that Barraclough made regular visits to pubs around town, the prosecution said.
Around two weeks after Carolann was last seen, Barraclough reportedly walked inside Normanton Police Station, where he told the receptionist, “I’ve killed my wife,” on Mar. 5. Police later arrived at Barraclough’s home, where they discovered Carolann’s body in the chest freezer.
The prosecution noted that Barraclough had attempted to portray himself as a victim. Barraclough alleged that Carolann was the first to strike him with a hammer and that the murder happened when he was acting in self-defense. However, surveillance footage showed Barraclough bearing no injuries to either his face or body at the time of Carolann’s death.
Barraclough said he was heartbroken after the loss of his wife
Barraclough reportedly told officers that his actions afterward were because he was “heartbroken,” “confused,” and “in a haze.” But the prosecution argued that his behavior wasn’t that of a man with a broken heart, but rather “of one who was perfectly happy going about his life as normal.”
CPS Senior Crown Prosecutor Jill May described Barraclough as someone who “tried to paint himself as a victim of domestic abuse who had no choice but to kill his wife,” and later lambasted the accused for his actions in the weeks after her death, stating it was “blatantly not those of a man in mourning.”
On Oct. 9, while Barraclough refused to attend court for his sentencing, he pleaded guilty to murder on the first day of his trial. He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 22 years and one month.
May also expressed her gratitude to Carolann’s eldest daughter, whom she said provided crucial evidence in the case. “I hope today’s outcome can bring them some sense of justice,” May added.
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