Colchester: Manipulative man jailed for life after murdering his wife

UPDATE: Friday 27 October

A man who murdered his wife at their home in Colchester has been sentenced to life imprisonment thanks to work by specialist officers and staff.

Ertan Ersoy was convicted yesterday (Thursday 26 October) of killing 52 year-old Antonella Castelvedere at an address in Wickham Road at around 11.15am on 1 June last year.

Initially Erosy, 51, claimed he had killed her in self-defence and raised a defence of diminished responsibility.

He maintained the injuries he had been found with had been inflicted by Antonella but there wasn’t any independent evidence to suggest they had been caused by her.

As our officers investigated, they established that Ersoy had attempted to control his wife’s life in the months leading up to her murder, and used listening devices to record her conversations.

The jury at his trial heard the incident on 1 June was the ‘ultimate act of control’.

The jury at his trial heard the incident on 1 June was the ‘ultimate act of control’.

An plea of manslaughter on the first day of his trial on 2 October was rejected and, following a trial at Ipswich Crown Court, he was found guilty of murder yesterday.

At the same court today (Friday 27 October), he was sentenced to life in prison and told he must serve a minimum of 25 years before he can apply for parole.

Following yesterday’s conviction, Antonella’s family said in a statement:

"The family thanks for the respect shown towards Antonella, respect that Antonella did not have from her husband, and for all the people involved, and the delicacy with which they communicated to us the developments of this tragic story.
“Respect is important for those who remain."

'Our thoughts remain with the victim's family'

Detective Chief Inspector Ant Alcock, who led the investigation, said:

“Today my thoughts, and those of colleagues, are with Antonella’s family.
“The sentence will never bring her back and it will not heal their sense of loss, but I do hope it represents justice served and helps them move forward.
“Ertan Ersoy is a controlling and manipulative man who tried to determine how his wife lived with behaviour that escalated to the point that he killed her.”

Thursday 26 October

A man who killed his wife and initially claimed he had acted in self-defence has been convicted of her murder thanks to the overwhelming evidence collated by specialist officers and staff.

Ertan Ersoy was today (Thursday 26 October) convicted of murdering Antonella Castelvedere on 1 June 2022 after a trial at Ipswich Crown Court.

We received a number of calls at about 11.15am reporting a serious incident having taken place in Wickham Road, Colchester.

Witnesses reported a man saying he had been attacked in his home and that he believed he had killed his wife.

Officers arrived at the scene within minutes and found Ersoy, who had been injured. During a further search of the home, officers then found Antonella, who had been seriously injured. Despite the best efforts of officers and medics at the scene, she sadly died.

Ersoy was taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries and was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Specialist investigators and staff began piecing together the months leading up to the incident and found that Ersoy had begun to believe, wrongly, that Antonella, 52, had been unfaithful.

Although Ersoy raised a defence of diminished responsibility, the jury held that the offence of murder was evidenced and not manslaughter. Ersoy maintained that his injuries were inflicted by Antonella, but there wasn’t any independent evidence to suggest those shallow puncture injuries had been caused by her.

In the months leading up to the incident, Ersoy had attempted to control his wife’s life and had used listening devices to record her conversations. The court heard the incident on 1 June was the “ultimate act of control”.

During interview, Ersoy remained silent despite being asked why he had not asked about his wife’s condition.

As a result of the speedy investigative work, Ersoy, 51, of Wickham Road, was subsequently charged with murder.

On the first day of trial, on 2 October, Ersoy entered a guilty plea to manslaughter. However, in consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, we opted to pursue a murder conviction.

Today, (Thursday 26 October), the jury at Chelmsford Crown Court found Ersoy guilty of murder. He will be sentenced at the same court tomorrow (Friday 27 October).

In a statement, Antonella’s family said:

“The family thanks for the respect shown towards Antonella, respect that Antonella did not have from her husband, and for all the people involved, and the delicacy with which they communicated to us the developments of this tragic story.

“Respect is important for those who remain".

Detective Chief Inspector Ant Alcock, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, led our investigation from the outset.

He said:

“This is a tragic case in which a family has lost a mother, daughter and a sister. First and foremost, our thoughts remain with Antonella’s family and friends. I know her loss will continue to be felt by those close to her.

“Ertan Ersoy is a clever, manipulative and calculated man, but his defence was based on a lie which was found out. He claimed he had an abnormality of mental functioning that substantially affected his judgement and self-control, this abnormality was described by experts as mild to moderate depression which the jury did not agree was sufficient to reduce his conviction to manslaughter.

"He was a man who sought to control his wife’s life and that ultimately culminated in a cruel and brutal attack in June last year.

“As an investigation team, we are very aware that no verdict will ever bring Antonella back but we hope that the jury’s decision will be of some comfort to them."

At Essex Police, domestic abuse is a force wide priority. We are determined to make our county a safer place for women and girls.

Our #Reflect campaign focuses on helping perpetrators to change their behaviour and casts a spotlight on different types of abuse – from physical abuse, to controlling behaviour, stalking and harassment, and uncontrolled emotions such as humiliation, jealously or anger.

The Southend, Essex and Thurrock Domestic Abuse Board (SETDAB) unites Essex to tackle domestic abuse.

Working in partnership with The Change Project, we are encouraging people to break the cycle of domestic abuse by changing their behaviour.

If your actions make your relationships a toxic place to be, it’s time to reflect on your behaviour and get the help you need.