Raymond Reddington: Husband who murdered wife Sharon Fulton 40 years ago labelled a coward and liar by son

The son of convicted wife killer Maxwell Robert Fulton has labelled his father a coward and doubts he will ever give up the location of his murdered mum’s body.

Fulton, who changed his name to the TV character Raymond Reddington, was sentenced on Monday to life in prison, with a court hearing that mother of four Sharon Fulton probably died “with the terror of knowing she was being killed by her own husband”.

The 79-year-old was sentenced to 20 years non-parole for the cold case killing of his wife Mrs Fulton 40 years ago.

A jury found him guilty of murdering the 39-year-old, who was last seen leaving her Duncraig home on March 18, 1986.

Her body has never been found.

After watching his father being sentenced for his mother’s murder, youngest son Heath Fulton told the media outside of court that the siblings’ priority now was to find their mum’s remains.

“It is the only thing we pretty much live for, to bring her home,” he said.

Speaking on Tuesday, he doubted his father would help them find their mother.

“Knowing who my father is, I believe he’s too weak and too much of a coward to acknowledge what he’s done and to provide some comfort or relief to his only kids,” Heath Fulton said on ABC radio.

“I don’t think he’ll do it. I’d love to be proven wrong. I do know that the police, specifically the cold case team, haven’t closed her case.

“They are still actively looking for her for us, and are still pursuing any leads that can arise. So I’m very appreciative of the work that the Western Australian police team are continuing in helping us find our mum.”

Heath Fulton said he and his brother confronted their father in prison after his arrest.

“My brother and I visited him in prison, and took those opportunities to continually ask him and give him the opportunity to give us some peace, and all we got were more lies,” he said on radio.

“He’s lied to us constantly. He knows nothing more than to tell a lie.”

Heath Fulton was three when the court heard about 9.30am on March 18, 1986, Mrs Fulton dropped him at an event for preschoolers at Wangara.

At 10am, she called a friend to tell her she would be late for a “print party” — similar to a Tupperware party — and was never heard from again.

It took three days before her husband of 19 years reported her missing to police.

<LR,A_250121genfulton6 (2)\pJPG,,,,,1>

He gave various versions of events around the last time he saw his wife, initially telling police he came back from work to discover she had left, pointing to clothes removed from her wardrobe.

He then gave accounts of taking her to three different central Perth train stations after she indicated she would be away for some time with another man.

During the trial, the jury heard that about a year before her disappearance Mrs Fulton had applied for divorce, custody of the children and a property settlement whereby Mr Reddington would have to pay maintenance.

In an affidavit, Mrs Fulton described how her husband asserted control over her finances, denying her a bank card, threatening to cut off the telephone and refusing to pay the registration on her car.

However, Mrs Fulton did not pursue the application and was living with her husband when she disappeared.

The court heard the weekend before her disappearance the couple had fought and Mrs Fulton had threatened to leave.

Justice Joseph McGrath told Reddington that on the morning of March 18, he returned home from his job at Pearce air base to the Duncraig home where Mrs Fulton was alone after dropping off Heath.

“During that confrontation, you killed the deceased, you did not go to the house with a pre-meditated aim to kill the deceased but you were prepared to do so” he said.

There was no forensic evidence at the house to determine how Mrs Fulton died, however State Prosecutor Ben Stanwix SC said she was either “surprised” by an attack or she saw it coming.

“The alternative was she died knowing what was happening and died with the terror of knowing she was being killed by her own husband” he said.

Justice McGrath told the former air force technician “I find you had motive to kill the deceased being the acrimonious marriage, with you facing losing a significant share of the matrimonial assets”.

Weeks before she vanished, her husband took out a life insurance policy in her name worth $120,000 in 1986 money.

It took 25 years before an inquest was held into Mrs Fulton’s disappearance in November 2021. That inquest proved to be Reddington’s undoing as he sent an anonymous “stitch-up” letter to the Coroner’s Court claiming to know where Mrs Fulton’s body was buried.

When the letter was forensically tested, they found Reddington’s DNA on the inside of the envelope.

The anonymous letter claimed Mrs Fulton was murdered by a lover and her body put under a concrete slab at a Scarborough home. Police dug up the concrete slab but no trace of Mrs Fulton was found.

Time is running out for Reddington to reveal what he did with Mrs Fulton’s body. He has a rare form of bile duct cancer and has between 18 months and a few years to live.

In a statement, WA Police made a public appeal for anyone who may know the whereabout of Mrs Fulton’s remains to come forward. Acting Inspector Jessica Securo, Mmajor Ccrime Ddivision said Mrs Fulton’s family “deserves answers”.

Anyone with information could call 131 444 or contact Crime Stoppers online at crimestopperswa.com.au