A British man pleaded guilty to murdering his ex-wife at the cemetery where their late son was buried exactly two decades ago, according to a new report.
According to the Portsmouth News, Martin Suter pleaded guilty last year to murdering his ex-wife, Ann Blackwood, on July 24, 2023, and a judge recently lifted a reporting restriction in the case.
According to the local news outlet, the couple’s 16-year-old son Christopher was buried there after dying in 2003, exactly 20 years after his mother was murdered.
PEOPLE contacted the Portsmouth Crown Court for comment, but did not receive a response by Wednesday, June 25, regarding the 68-year-old man’s plea.
Suter was arrested and charged just days after Blackwood’s death, according to the BBC.
According to local police, Blackwood’s family issued a statement saying that her daughter, brothers, and friends were “absolutely devastated” by her death, according to the BBC. “A loving, caring, kind-hearted mother and friend who was very popular in her local community, she was enjoying her retirement with an active lifestyle which included tennis, sailing, cycling and music,” the family told the police, according to the BBC.
According to Metro UK, Blackwood, 71, was pronounced dead at the scene after being allegedly attacked by Suter in the Crofton Cemetery in Stubbington.
According to Metro UK, the cemetery’s neighborhood is well-known for its low crime rate. “You never expect something so horrific to happen so close to home, especially in such a friendly community,” one resident told the outlet on the day Blackwood was murdered.
According to the Portsmouth News, Suter was a former Green Party politician who ran for council on three occasions.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
