A man has been jailed for life for murdering his wife, with voice recordings from an Alexa device helping to bring him to justice.
Daniel White, 36, kicked the locked bedroom door of Angie White, 45, before he strangled her and cut her throat with a Stanley knife.
Mrs White’s family described her as a “much-loved daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, and auntie”.
White fled their Swansea home driving his wife’s car in the early hours of 22 October last year, before he phoned the police hours later to confess to murder.
Officers who attended the address in Idris Terrace, Plasmarl, discovered the front door unlocked and found the body of Mrs White in her bedroom.
The court heard that White had a long history of domestic violence, including against Mrs White.
Mrs White had recently installed a mortice lock on her bedroom door, which was kicked in by White after an argument began on WhatsApp.
He was on licence from prison at the time of the murder after he received a 10-year extended sentence for rape and assault.
Neighbours said they heard banging, shouting and screaming at about 3am on that morning, before they heard a front door and a car drive away.
Shortly before 6am, White called the police, telling the call handler: “I’ve strangled her [Mrs White] and cut her throat. She’s dead.
“We argued and she locked the door and said she wanted me out.
“All I wanted to do was take my stuff and leave. I just shut her up, I strangled her, I ran downstairs, and I cut her throat to make sure she was dead.”
‘Serious danger’
Detectives discovered voice commands made by White and his wife stored in the cloud of an Amazon Alexa device, which can control electrical items in a household.
The court heard that the last message exchanged between Mrs White and her husband was at 3.11am.
A pathologist found Mrs White died from knife wounds to her neck but noted that there was also evidence she had been strangled.
White had admitted murder but refused to attend court to be sentenced.
Judge Paul Thomas KC imposed a life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years and 10 months, branding White a “serious danger to women”.
Handing down the sentence, he said: “He does not have the courage to face the family and friends of the woman whose life he so brutally ended,” he said.
“You have a disgraceful history of assaulting women who have had the great misfortune to be in a relationship with you.
“You were, in short, a serious danger to women even before you murdered Angie White.
“For reasons which you have never adequately explained or sought to explain, you lost your ferocious temper yet again in the middle of the night.”
The judge added that Mrs White “must have been absolutely terrified” as White “savagely slit her throat knowing that would kill her”.
‘Much-loved’
After the sentencing, Angie White’s family paid tribute to her: “Angie was a much-loved daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, and auntie.
Also, a friend with a zest for fun, always wanting to do whatever she could for anyone and everyone.
“At the time of her death Angie was nearing the completion of her degree in Humanities, a degree which would have enabled her to continue to help others.
“Nothing can bring our beloved Angie back. We shall miss that silly giggle for evermore.”
Detective Chief Inspector Matt Powell of South Wales Police said: “Despite being devastated by the news of Angie’s murder her family has shown tremendous patience and dignity during what has been an agonising wait for today’s sentencing.
“Whilst I appreciate that nothing will ever bring Angie back to them, I do hope that we have been able to give them many of the answers they sought; and that this sentence goes some way to helping them grieve, and hopefully, to start to rebuild their lives.”
DCI Powell added his thanks to the witnesses who were “particularly brave in providing my team with evidence of their experiences at the hands of Daniel White”.
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