A man has been found guilty of bludgeoning his ex-wife to death in her Melbourne home, just days before she was to relocate overseas with their children.
Robert Arthur Meade lay in wait in the laundry of the home he once shared with Sally Brooks, then attacked her with a blunt instrument as she walked through the door.
Meade, 52, had pleaded not guilty to the murder but sat unmoved as the Victorian Supreme Court jury delivered its verdict on Thursday after four days of deliberation.
Ms Brooks had been due to return to her native United Kingdom with their three children a week after she was attacked on July 1, 2011.
She died in hospital from head injuries on July 11.
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Ms Brooks' identical twin sister, Alison Brooks, said her family will never recover from her loss.
"While we take some comfort knowing (Meade) will now be behind bars, nothing will ever ease the devastation and heartache he has caused," Alison Brooks said outside court.
"Our future will forever be tinged with great sadness because Sally is missing from our lives."
Prosecutor Ray Elston SC told Meade's trial that he had seen July 1 as his last opportunity to stop Ms Brooks' plan.
He said Meade had driven an unorthodox route from his home in Adelaide to Ms Brooks' Donvale home and had scoped out the trip with a "dry run" in early June.
Meade told investigating police that he had been in the town of Yea, north of Melbourne, at the time Ms Brooks was killed.
Peter Morrissey SC, for Meade, had told the trial there was nothing to link his client to the scene of the crime and questioned why he would leave Ms Brooks injured, but still alive.
Justice Mark Weinberg will now sentence Meade at a date to be fixed.
