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Kiena Dawes
Image via Lancashire Police

‘I was murdered’: Woman named abusive ex-boyfriend as reason for her death in suicide note, and he just smirked as he was found not guilty

Wake up babe, a new "worst guy in the world" just dropped.

Warning: the following article discusses suicide and domestic abuse.

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The true crime beat is never particularly uplifting, but sometimes you get a case that makes you lose faith in humanity. So let’s take a look at the thoroughly depressing story of 23-year-old English woman Kiena Dawes, who died by suicide after a “prolonged campaign of abuse” by her 30-year-old ex-boyfriend, Ryan Wellings.

Wellings has been on trial for her manslaughter, with the jury hearing evidence of two years of “controlling and coercive” behavior from him towards Dawes. The pair met in 2020 when Wellings “swept her off her feet,” though at that time she was unaware he had a previous conviction for domestic violence against his ex-partner.

Soon Dawes was the target of his violence. During the trial, Wellings was said to have tried to strangle Dawes with an iPhone charger cable, brandished an electric drill and “put it in my face and told me he would drill my teeth out of my mouth,” threats to throw acid in her face, and regular small acts of humiliating cruelty.

Ryan Wellings
Image via Lancashire Police

Things came to a head after Dawes became pregnant by Wellings. He promptly gave her a black eye, insulted her for putting on weight, and began openly using online sex workers. A mere 11 days before her death she was rendered unconscious and covered in blood after he kicked a door into her head.

On 22 July 2022, 11 days after the bloody beating, Dawes left her nine-month-old daughter at her friend’s house and took her own life. She left a note on her phone reading: “The end. I fought hard, I fought long. I went through pain no one could imagine. I was murdered. Ryan Wellings killed me. He ruined every bit of strength I had left. I didn’t deserve it. I hope my life saves another by police services acting faster. Don’t let bullies live free.”

Dawes concluded: “I’m sorry I let you go … I’m so sorry I had to go. The world turned their back on me. I was strong. I had dreams. I had a future at one point. That was taken away from me” before a final plea that her daughter was “kept away from the monster who is called her dad.”

On discovery of the note, Wellings was arrested and charged with manslaughter. Within an hour after learning of this, he posted a Facebook video blaming Dawes’ mom for the death. The video sees him wearing sunglasses and being driven in a car to loud music with a bottle of prosecco, saying “I’m driving around with a bottle of prosecco. I have been told off an hour ago on a manslaughter charge. It’s all f****** shit. Angela Dawes, you need to take the blame for abandoning your daughter and going to Greece. You are a f****** slag.” His justification for posting that? He was sleep-deprived, drunk, and on drugs.

At trial, he claimed any injuries Dawes suffered were because he was “restraining” her and the jury was told she suffered from “an emotionally unstable personality disorder.” After a six-week trial Wellings was convicted of assault and coercive and controlling behavior, but acquitted of manslaughter. On hearing the verdict he smiled and blew a kiss to his new girlfriend (jeez, lady run! RUN!) before being taken back to the cells. Sentencing will take place at a later date.

Welp, that’s my day ruined. I’m going to find a compilation video of small furry animals doing cute things and stare blankly at it for a while.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. A list of international crisis resources can be found here.


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Author
Image of David James
David James
I'm a writer/editor who's been at the site since 2015. Love writing about video games and will crawl over broken glass to write about anything related to Hideo Kojima. But am happy to write about anything and everything, so long as it's interesting!