A NEW documentary on ITV called The British Airways Killer explores the brutal murder of Joanna Simpson.
Joanna was tragically killed by her husband Robert Brown in 2010 while her young children played in the next room.
Who are Joanna Simpson's children?
Joanna Simpson and Robert had two children together.
Joanna fell pregnant with her son, Alex, just two months after she married Robert.
They got into a fight and they were hitting each other... And then dad put mum in the car and said he had hurt her. He said he was taking mum to the hospital but I don’t know what happened."
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He was born in December 1999 and 17 months later, Joanna and Robert welcomed daughter Kate, also known as Katie.
The family then settled in Ascot to be near Heathrow airport for Robert's job.
In the Netflix documentary When Missing Turns to Murder, Joanna's mother Diana Parkes explained that Joanna gave up working to care for her kids, saying she wanted to be a "totally hands-on mother".
Katie and Alex were only nine and ten when their mother was killed.
Joanna's mum has said that the two children "heard her being killed".
What have Joanna Simpson's children said?
Kate and Alex have stayed out of the public eye.
They have not spoken out about their mother's death and did not take part in either of the Netflix documentaries made about her tragic killing.
Ms Parkes, Joanna's mum, has said she was the person who had to tell the children about their mother's death.
She said: "I had the job of telling the children that mummy had been found and she hadn't survived."
She had previously said of the awful moment: "It was the worst day of my life obviously. It was terrible."
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The children lived with Ms Parkes on the Isle of Wight after their mother's death.
She said her grandchildren gave her "purpose" after losing her daughter.
In never-seen-before police tapes, the new ITV documentary shows young Katie describing what she had seen on October 31, 2010.
Katie, who is extremely distressed and sobbing, tells an interviewer that she does not know where her dad had taken her mum.
“They got into a fight and they were hitting each other,” Katie said.
She added: “And then dad put mum in the car and said he had hurt her. He said he was taking mum to the hospital but I don’t know what happened."
“He came back at seven in the morning," Katie added through tears. "But I don’t know about mum.”
What happened to Joanna Simpson?
Robert killed Joanna on Halloween night 2010, hitting her 14 times over the head with a hammer while the children played in a room next door.
He then placed her body into the boot of his car and told Alex and Kate that their mum was unwell and had to go to hospital.
Joanna's death followed a sustained period of domestic abuse which included coercive control, isolation, intimidation and severe violence.
Her body was found five days later buried in a pre-dug grave.
She was just days away from the finalisation of her divorce from Robert.
One of Joanna's friends reported that the grave had been dug near where Robert used to take his children to play.
Brown was acquitted of murder in May 2011 but was found guilty of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility at Reading Crown Court.
He was sentenced to 24 years for manslaughter and a further two years for the offence of obstructing a coroner in the execution of his duty.
Brown will be eligible for parole in November 2023, after serving 13 years of his 26-year term.
Campaigners, including Carrie Johnson, wife of ex-PM Boris Johnson, have called for Brown's release to be blocked.
Joanna's mother launched an appeal in The Sun to stop Brown's release, saying in February 2023 that she is convinced Brown will find a way to hurt her and her grandchildren if he is set free.
She said: ''I worry for everybody because this man is not safe.
"I think he will stop at nothing and we will be constantly looking over our shoulders. Let common sense please rule the day.
"This man is not fit to be let out. He should stay in jail for at least his full sentence.''
In October 2023 it was confirmed that the Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk had blocked Robert's automatic release and that the killer would stay behind bars.
Chalk said at the time: "I made a commitment to Joanna's family that I would give this case my closest personal attention.
"Having reviewed all the information available to me, I have blocked Brown's automatic release and referred this case to the parole board using powers we introduced to protect the public from the most dangerous offenders."
Robert challenged the decision the following year in February and his lawyer claimed that proper policy was not followed because of the high-profile nature of the case.
A ruling is expected at a later date.
