Beau Rothwell convicted in murder of pregnant wife after drafting a 'pros and cons list', court hears

Beau Rothwell has been convicted of murdering his pregnant wife Jennifer. Photo / Facebook

A jury has convicted a US man of murdering his pregnant wife after cheating on her and writing a list of reasons he should leave her.

Along with a first-degree murder charge, Beau Rothwell was found guilty last week of tampering with physical evidence and abandonment of a corpse, according to the St Louis Post-Dispatch.

During the trial, the 31-year-old admitted to killing his wife, Jennifer Rothwell, but denied the killing was premeditated, seeking a conviction on the lesser charge of manslaughter.

He told the court he had clubbed his 28-year-old wife to death with a mallet in their home in November 11, 2019, during a heated argument after his affair.

Her badly beaten body was found a week later, more than 72km away from their home, after she was reported missing on November 12.

Jennifer had searched "what to do if your husband is upset you are pregnant" on her phone before she went missing, police said.

Jennifer Rothwell's badly beaten body was found about a week after she was reported missing. Photo / Facebook

Part of the evidence used against him was the list he wrote for wanting to leave Jennifer, portraying him as a careful planner.

The jury were also shown texts he had with the other woman.

Police had previously said the 32-year-old murderer was caught on camera buying cleaning products, including bleach and gloves, a day before his wife vanished.

Police later found bottles of bleach in the home and a wet, bloodstained carpet.

Investigators determined the blood was his wife's.

He was arrested just hours after posting a plea for help on social media.

"Some of you may have heard already, but last night my wife Jennifer went missing," he wrote on Facebook. "I've filed a police report and the search is ongoing. Please, if you hear of anything or have any information it would be greatly appreciated."

He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Beau is set to be sentenced on July 8.