A THUG ex-partner now faces life in jail after he admitted to doing “the worst thing” after killing a beloved mum-of-two.
Mark Donovan, 39, inflicted 70 separate injuries on Elise Mason, 37, at the home they once shared in Chelmsford, Essex in 2023.
Speaking then, Elise’s mum said: “I have not only lost my daughter, but I have lost my best friend too.
“Elise was a fantastic mother to her children and she was loved by everybody.”
After three hours of deliberation, Donovan was convicted by a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court on March 5, 2025.
He was sentenced by His Honour Judge Christopher Morgan to a minimum of 16 years.
The killer strangled the mum-of-two and battered her with a lamp at his address in Great Baddow, on April 25, 2023.
He then headed to his local pub to throw Elise’s phone in the toilet.
Detective Inspector James Holmes, who led the investigation, said: “Today is not in any way about triumph.
“Today is about Elise and it’s about her friends and her family who continue to feel her loss.
“More than anything else, Mark Donovan’s actions have left Elise’s children without their mum and left her wider family without a loving daughter.
“I know today’s sentence will not bring back Elise or ease her family’s suffering in any way but I do truly hope that there is some comfort knowing that Donovan will spend at least 16 years in jail before he is in any way eligible for release.”
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Chilling moment killer husband calmly eats Chinese takeaway in police station while confessing to murdering his wife” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6369556050112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]CCTV showed the killer enjoying drinks at the bar then heading to two separate massage parlours.
After ordering a Chinese takeaway, he took it to Ilford Police Station in the early hours of April 26, 2023.
There, he told officers he had done “the worst thing”.
Donovan was still eating his noodles with his hands while speaking to police to confess the gruesome crime.
Although he handed himself in, he denied murder and stood trial.
Jurors heard Donovan and Elise had been friends as teenagers before embarking on a relationship in 2010.
After the couple split in 2022, the killer couldn’t accept his ex had moved on.
He bombarded the mum with numerous texts and phone calls in a bid to manipulate her.
On the day of the killing, Elise was seen heading to her former marital home where Donovan was now living.
Around two hours later, the monster left the house with his ex-wife’s phone and bank card.
Elise was later discovered by the front door still wearing her coat and shoes.
Evil Donovan claimed he was innocent on the grounds of diminished responsibility and said Elise had emotionally and physically abused him.
But jurors saw through his lies.
He was convicted on February 28 but sentenced on March 5.
Detective Inspector James Holmes, senior investigating officer, previously said: “I want to express my heartfelt sympathy to Elise’s family and in particular her two children, who have tragically been left without their mother because of Donovan’s destructive and utterly heartless actions.
“Mark Donovan is clearly a dangerous, selfish and manipulative man.
“[His] warped and self-centred mind could never accept that Elise had moved on from their relationship.
“He killed her in a fit of rage, only handing himself in after enjoying a drink at a pub, a massage and a takeaway meal.
“That behaviour shows the kind of man he is. He can expect to spend the rest of his life where he belongs.”