Steve Fesus, who murdered his wife and buried her at Seven Mile Beach in 1997, died of a rapid worsening of cancer he had been diagnosed with in 2016, according to the NSW Coroner.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Also there was no sign of a rumoured diary Fesus had been keeping while he was in prison.
Fesus died at the Prince of Wales Hospital secure prison annex on October 24, 2020 - less than three years into his 22-year sentence.
Read more: Rate rises for Wollongong and Kiama councils
The result of the inquest into his death was released earlier this month and Deputy NSW Coroner Magistrate Derek Lee said Fesus' cancer began to get worse from April 2020, when he was in jail.
"Mr Fesus' disease progressed rapidly and his condition deteriorated so that by June 2020, Mr Fesus was advised of his poor prognosis and his limited life expectancy," the coronial report stated.
"A further deterioration in Mr Fesus' condition resulted in his admission to hospital in October 2020. This admission was focused primarily on providing Mr Fesus with comfort care."
He had asked to be transferred to hospital in September "and indicated his understanding that once he reached the terminal phase of his condition, the focus would be on comfort care with no invasive treatments, no intensive-care intubation and no resuscitation".
Magistrate Lee said he found no evidence to substantiate rumours Fesus had kept a diary in which he recorded "alleged complaints regarding the care and treatment provided to him".
The deputy coroner found Fesus died "from progression of a natural disease process" and that he received appropriate medical care while in custody.
In August, 1997, Fesus reported his wife of three months Jodie missing.
The next month police received an anonymous call that led to them discovering her remains on Seven Mile Beach.
No-one was charged with Jodie's murder at the time; Fesus was charged in 2013 after he confessed to an undercover police officer.
He later retracted the confession, stating it was a result of the pressure of the covert police operation.
Despite protesting his innocence, Fesus was found guilty and sentenced to 22 years in 2018.
He spent time at Parklea and the South Coast Correctional Centre before being transferred to Long Bay Hospital on April 9 2020.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
