Details of a triple-0 call made by a Queensland husband after his wife’s death has emerged, with prosecutors claiming it hides the truth in what they allege is a staged murder.

Robert Crawford, a 47-year-old Air Force pilot, is facing charges of murder and misconduct with a corpse following the death of his wife Frances, at their property in Upper Lockyer, Queensland, in July 2023.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Man arrested for alleged murder of wife after lawnmower death

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Emergency services were called to the Thomas Road home just before 3.40am on July 30.

The 49-year-old was found unresponsive at the bottom of a retaining wall.

At first, it appeared to be a tragic accident involving a lawnmower.

Prosecutors allege that the story doesn’t add up.

‘I just found her’

Court documents obtained by 7NEWS state that Crawford initially told officers the couple had hugged, read the Bible and watched TV together the evening before her death.

He claimed he fell asleep, then woke in the middle of the night to find Frances gone.

“I woke up sometime in the middle of the night and reached over to grab her hand,” he told police.

“I realised she was not in bed.”

In a triple-0 call at 3.47am recorded in the court documents, Crawford can be heard telling the operator:

“I don’t know. I just found her.

“She’s off the... like the mower’s rolled and she’s...

“I dunno... what she’s doing.”

When asked if the mower had rolled onto her, he responded:

“Yeah… yeah… I’m just, I’m trying to, I had to pull it off and like… I think she’s still okay… I think, but I need an ambulance ASAP.”

Police allege Frances was already dead by that point and the scene had been manipulated to make it appear she’d had a tragic accident.

Timeline under scrutiny

Prosecutors alleged that Crawford killed his wife inside the house and then waited for more than five hours before calling for help.

Frances was found wearing UGG boots.

Her injuries included trauma to the neck and head, and while pathologists said they can’t rule out an accident, a Crown prosecutor claimed the evidence “favoured strangulation” as the cause of death.

Additionally, Robert Crawford’s DNA was found under all ten of Frances’ fingernails.

“She was conscious and actively resisting, not falling off the back of a lawnmower,” Crown Prosecutor Chris Cook told the court.

The court previously also heard Frances had told police she felt unsafe in the relationship and had sought a protective order.

She alleged that Robert was intimidating and controlling, and had become increasingly volatile in the months leading up to her death.

“She felt very unsafe,” one report noted.

Their three children have also spoken to detectives.

One described Robert as a “master manipulator,” despite not being physically violent.

It is alleged that tensions had reportedly grown over suspicions of infidelity and the couple had been attending counselling in the lead-up to Frances’ death.

Police claim the alleged crime was the culmination of a pattern of coercive control.

Daily bail check-ins

Crawford, who is on strict bail, is now required to report to Toowoomba Police Station every day.

He maintains his innocence and claims Frances went outside late that night to move the mower away from the sprinklers.

The mower was later found with a flat battery in an unusual position.

His defence team argued the case relies heavily on disputed expert evidence and that the injuries could still be consistent with a tragic accident.

The court has reserved its judgment, with the case continuing to unfold.

Frances’ family said they were “devastated” by her loss, and that her death will leave a permanent hole in their lives.

“Frances’ passing will profoundly affect each of us for the rest of our lives, but none more so than her three beautiful children,” they said in a statement.