The family of Paula Leeson, a deceased heiress who drowned in a swimming pool, has called on a judge to rule that she was murdered in order to prevent her husband, Donald McPherson, from receiving an inheritance from her £4.4 million will, as reported in an article by Express&Star.com
McPherson, a property developer, has denied murdering his wife and was not found guilty by a judge who stated that there was not enough evidence to guarantee a safe conviction. However, Leeson’s family want a judge to rule that McPherson had killed her so that he will not be legally entitled to benefit from the will.
Prior to Leeson’s death, McPherson took out seven “secret” life insurance policies on her, which would have been worth £3.5 million if she died, Express&Star.com reported.
However, McPherson said that he was asleep when she drowned during their holiday at a cottage in Western Denmark. Following her death, he began to transfer money from her accounts in order to pay his debts. He also later on joined a group “Widowed and Young,” which was described as “Tinder for Widows.”
Pathologists found 13 separate injuries on Leeson’s body, which were thought to be caused by being restrained or a resuscitation attempt.
Leeson’s family filed a case against him but McPherson was not present during the hearing and was believed to be living in several countries like French Polynesia and Fiji. Prosecutors accused him of making his wife’s death look like an accident and planning it beforehand.
McPherson was previously convicted of 32 criminal offences of dishonesty or fraud in New Zealand, the UK, and Germany. He married Leeson in June 2014, and she was set to inherit the family business, which she had been overseeing when she met McPherson.
The hearing is still ongoing.
