He dumped wife's body in a skip then said she'd killed herself

Kerrilee was running, but there was no escape from her husband

- GAIL SHORTLAND

Proudly running alongside the other competitors in the Utica Boilermakerrace in Utica, New York, Kerrilee D’Avolio felt in the best shape of her life. The 32-year-old had lost more than seven stone thanks to a new healthy diet and exercise routine. As well as taking up Zumba and boxing, Kerrilee had discovered a love of running and, in July 2019, she’d completed the annual Utica 15k race for the first time and crossed the finish line beaming with pride. It was exactly the confidence boost she needed to see her through the huge life changes coming her way.

Kerrilee was married to Jason D’Avolio. When they’d first got together, her family were concerned to discover that Jason was 16 years older, but the couple married and had three daughters, then aged five, four and two. They settled in Rome, New York, with Jason working for a finance company and Kerrilee in child education. But things were far from perfect.

Although no one ever saw evidence that Jason was physically abusive, family and friends did see him belittle his wife. He criticised her pregnancy weight gain, called her lazy and even put her down in front of their children. They thought he was controlling too, by doing intrusive things like answering her phone.

By 2019, Kerrilee had started divorce proceedings. She was looking for an apartment to move into with her daughters and she hoped that Jason would come to an amicable agreement over custody. Jason would walk away from conversations about their separation, so she sat down and wrote him a letter to explain how she felt.

“You are honestly a good person when you don’t let your inner demon attack me or take over,” she wrote. “I am truly happy being alone. Never thought I’d say that. I am not sorry that I finally want to work on me.”