Memphis man found guilty of killing wife during Fiji honeymoon

A Memphis man was convicted last week of killing his wife, a Memphis pharmacist and UT-Health Sciences graduate, while the couple were honeymooning at a luxury resort in Fiji, reported The Fiji Times.

The High Court in Lautoka, Fiji, convicted Bradley Robert Dawson, 40, of killing Christie Chen, 36, when the couple were on their honeymoon in Fiji in July 2022. Chen was found on July 9, 2022 in the couple's bungalow with multiple traumatic injuries and blunt force trauma to the head.

The case gained international attention as the resort was where the 1980 movie "The Blue Lagoon," which starred a young Brooke Shields, was filmed.

Bradley Robert Dawson conviction

The court in Lautoka convicted Dawson for murdering Chen on their honeymoon. He was charged with one count of murder.

According to The Fiji Times, Justice Riyaz Hamza said since Dawson had his passport and personal belongings with him when he was arrested, Dawson intended to flee the country after the offense. While delivering the judgement, Hamza said he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Dawson was the one who committed the offense.

Dawson will receive his sentencing on Jan. 27, 2025.

History of the couple

The couple were married in February of 2022, after the divorce of Dawson's first marriage finalized in January.

Dawson was working in the information department at Youth Villages, a Memphis charity, before the killing of his wife.

Chen had recently graduated from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis and was working as a pharmacist at Kroger when she was killed.

There is no clear timeline to how long the couple were together prior to Chen's murder. Dawson first married his previous wife in 2019 and filed for divorce about two years later in September 2021. The court issued the final divorce decree on Jan. 11, 2022.

Turtle Island Fiji

The killing took place at Turtle Island Fiji, a luxury resort that offers private villas to 14 couples at a time. Guests typically arrive by seaplane, the resort's web site says, and each villa comes with a personal concierge and gourmet meals.

"We can confirm an incident took place between a married couple at the resort on July 9th, resulting in a tragic outcome and charges being laid," the resort management said in an emailed statement in 2022. "We cooperated with the authorities during the investigation and the police left the island over a week ago. It is our understanding that charges have been filed in the case."