The marriage between Mr Beniwal and Deepshikha Godara was arranged by their families where Ms Godara ended up being a victim of horrific domestic violence. Photo / Channel 9 News
The marriage between Mr Beniwal and Deepshikha Godara was arranged by their families where Ms Godara ended up being a victim of horrific domestic violence. Photo / Channel 9 News
A man's shallow and sick fantasies drove him to brutally kill his wife after she suffered through years of torture.
Sunil Beniwal had a history of anxiety and depression, and he was infatuated with the idea of having a partner who was better looking than his wife.
The marriage between Mr Beniwal and Deepshikha Godara was arranged by their families, and after a happy start to marriage, Ms Godara ended up being a victim of horrific domestic violence.
According to documents from the Coroners Court of Victoria, Mr Beniwal cheated on Ms Godara and abused alcohol.
Deepshikha Godara contacted the police a number of times after she was abused by Sunil Beniwal. Photo / Channel 9 News
Ms Godara contacted the police a number of times after she was abused, according to the documents, but she would later drop charges against her husband and tried to work things out with him.
She stayed with him because she did not want to dishonour her family.
She's of Hindu religion and also believed if her marriage failed, her family would become outcasts.
Ms Godara made the decision to divorce her husband in February 2009 and Mr Beniwal packed up his things and moved out of their Melbourne home.
She was pressing charges against her husband again but later dropped them in May because her memory of the details were vague.
The couple reconciled in May but in August 2009 police went to the couple's home because they were arguing about Mr Beniwal spending time with family members Ms Godara didn't approve of.
The Coroners Court documents say Mr Beniwal slapped Ms Godara and kicked her in the stomach while she was on the couch.
Mr Beniwal denied being violent towards his wife.
A 12 month Family Violence Intervention order was then made against Mr Beniwal the next day. He was not allowed to communicate with his wife at all.
Three weeks later the intervention order was changed and Mr Beniwal could contact Ms Godara but he would be seriously punished if he was physically violent towards her.
According to Victoria Police records, there was no sign of family violence for the rest of 2009, 2010 and 2011.
But in June 2012, police were called to the home again and Mr Beniwal was accused of slapping Ms Godara in the face.
Sunil Beniwal had a history of anxiety and depression. Photo / Channel 9 News
Mr Beniwal found somewhere else to stay that night.
Later that month police were called to the home again after the couple had an argument about Mr Beniwal allegedly seeing other women.
He was drinking beer and the Coroners Court documents said he threw an empty bottle at Ms Godara and slapped her in the face.
In December 2012 a two-year Family Violence Intervention order against Mr Beniwal meant he could not commit family violence against Ms Godara, damage her property or threaten her.
This order expired just three days before he killed his estranged wife.
Two years after the pair parted, in 2014, Ms Godara moved out with a man she met through work. The estranged couple decided to share custody of their son and Mr Beniwal was accepting of the separation.
According to the coroners court documents, Mr Beniwal began pleading for Ms Godara to take him back. The woman was still with her new partner in November but she went to India with Mr Beniwal for his cousin's wedding. She wanted to keep up appearances for her family in India, and didn't want them to know they had separated.
The family however knew the marriage was in trouble and people were under the impression they were working on their relationship.
They had flights back to Melbourne booked after the wedding but Mr Beniwal cancelled Ms Godara's and put her job in Australia at risk.
He also broke her mobile phone so she could not contact her partner.
She came back on December 11 and Mr Beniwal came over to her house to pick up some belongings and was polite to her new partner.
But Mr Beniwal had an evil streak and according to the documents, Ms Godara told her new partner Mr Beniwal had once threatened her and told her he was going to bury her "up the bush".
On December 13, 2014, Ms Godara left her partner at home and went to pick up her son from Mr Beniwal's.
But she never returned home and that was the last her partner ever saw of her.
When she didn't return, the partner drove past Mr Beniwal's house and saw Ms Godara's car, but there was no sign of his love.
Mr Beniwal was drinking some alcohol and having a smoke on the driveway.
Nobody knew what happened to Ms Godara until about 7.30am on December 14, but by that time, Mr Beniwal was also dead.
In the early morning he took Ms Godara's car and drove in front of a truck.
In the early morning he took Ms Godara's car and drove in front of a truck. Photo / Channel 9 News
Police found a handwritten note on Mr Beniwal's body and he confessed he strangled his wife in a fit of rage. After seeing her swollen face, he panicked and stabbed her in the neck, according to court documents.
He said his estranged wife's partner turned her against him and believed he had no choice but to take his life. Police went to Mr Beniwal's home in Deer Park, in Melbourne's west, and found Ms Godara in the ensuite.
State Coroner Judge Sarah Hinchey found Mr Beniwal had a history of anxiety and depression and had seen a psychiatrist and psychologist.
He told them during consultations he struggled to find satisfaction in his marriage and was fixated on the fantasy of a better looking partner.
