Cheating husband who made list about leaving pregnant wife guilty of murder

Beau Rothwell, 31, beat his wife Jennifer Rothwell, 28, to death with a hammer at their home in Creve Coeur, Missouri, in the United States, after she refused to identify his lover

A cheating husband has been found guilty of murdering his pregnant wife after he made a list of reasons why he should leave her.

Beau Rothwell, 31, confessed to killing Jennifer Rothwell, 28, by hitting her to death with a hammer during a heated argument over his affair with another woman.

He was found guilty Thursday of first degree murder, abandonment of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence.

During his trial, Rothwell recounted how he hit his wife in the head from behind with a hammer at their home in Missouri, USA, in November 2019.

He then followed her and hit her again as she staggered towards the garage in the town of Creve Coeur, USA.

“In the heat of it all, I hit her again. I think I smashed her skull in, she passed out and down the stairs,” he told the court.

Tempers boiled over after Rothwell refused to reveal the identity of his mistress to his wife, who was six weeks pregnant.

He told the jury how angry Ms Rothwell was, saying he could keep his “mysterious cock” and that the pregnancy was the result of an affair with another man, according to Dispatch.

Further evidence revealed Ms Rothwell searching her phone “what to do if your husband is upset you’re pregnant” before she was reported missing.

Her beaten body was found about 45 miles northwest of her home a week later.

Rothwell denied that the murder was premeditated and sought a lesser manslaughter conviction.

While prosecutors argued he was a careful planner, he showed the jury texts between himself and his mistress and a list of pros and cons he had compiled about leaving his wife.

The cheating husband reported his wife missing the day after the murder and tried to cover his tracks.

Police previously said video showed him buying cleaning products, including bleach and gloves, the day before Ms Rothwell disappeared.

Bottles of bleach and a wet, blood-stained carpet were later found inside the home, with investigators confirming the blood belonged to her.

Rothwell was arrested just hours after asking for help on Facebook.

He wrote: “Some of you may have heard by now but last night my wife Jennifer went missing. I have filed a complaint with the police and the search is ongoing. Please if you hear anything or have any information it would be greatly appreciated.”

He was initially arrested on evidence tampering charges, but this was escalated to murder following a breakthrough in the case.

Detectives used DNA samples from Ms Rothwell’s parents and confirmed that the blood found outside the home belonged to her.

Rothwell is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8 and faces life in prison without parole.