Twenty-six years ago, Aaron Govendir told police his home had been broken into and he was knocked unconscious before his wife was bludgeoned to death.
But detectives allege the story was a lie and the now-elderly man murdered his wife Denise before staging an apparent car theft in a bid to cover up his crime.
The 81-year-old man was on Thursday charged over Ms Govendir’s cold-case killing after attending a police station on an unrelated matter.
Detectives said Govendir was in an “emotionless” state when he was arrested over the alleged murder of his wife at their home in the suburb of Dover Heights in Sydney’s well-off east on March 10, 1998.
Developments in forensic and medical evidence along with re-interviewing witnesses bolstered investigators’ case to a point they could lay a murder charge after a long-running probe, police said.
Govendir previously told investigators the couple was assaulted by a man who broke into their home claiming to be a police officer.
He said he was knocked unconscious before being restrained with cable ties.
In his version of events, the intruder seriously assaulted Ms Govendir, who died from her head injuries.
In 1998, the alleged killer fronted a press conference, sobbing as he pleaded for information about his wife’s death.
“They should ring the police and help them because we can’t do it on our own,” Govendir said through tears.
Detectives believe there was no bogus police officer.
“We will allege it was a staged robbery, just to cover the tracks of what allegedly has been committed, which was in essence a domestic-violence murder,” Homicide Squad commander Danny Doherty said.
“We allege this man was responsible for violently assaulting Denise and then staging a robbery … when in fact, nothing was actually stolen.”
Eleven days after the killing, police recovered a car allegedly stolen when the purported attacker fled, but they were unable to find the unidentified offender who investigators say never existed.
Detective Superintendent Doherty said it was unusual for a stolen vehicle to be dumped so close to an incident.
An inquest between 2005 and 2008 declared Ms Govendir died from blunt-force head injuries that were intentionally inflicted.
The NSW government in November announced a $1 million reward for fresh information that could lead to her killer’s arrest and conviction.
The reward attracted some corroborative evidence that helped lead to Govendir’s charge, but Det Supt Doherty heaped praise on the initial investigators who helped build the case.
“From 2021 and reinterviewing many people again, getting fresh medical evidence, getting fresh forensic evidence and rebuilding a circumstantial case – which we will allege in court is a strong circumstantial case – we had sufficient evidence to charge this man,” he said.
Surviving family members were said to have mixed emotions after authorities finally issued the charge.
Speaking at the time of the November reward, Ms Govendir’s daughter Tahli remembered her mother’s generosity, love and support.
“How she died was only a tiny little bit of her and that’s not the part that I focus on,” she said.
“I still have people who say, ‘I remember her, I miss her, I think about her all the time’.”
Govendir was denied bail to face Penrith Local Court, although no hearing date has been sent.
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