Last year, university lecturer Adam Brown murdered his wife. Now, he's been jailed for 24 years.

Content warning: This story deals with domestic violence and may be distressing to some readers.

University lecturer Adam Brown has been jailed for up to 24 years after murdering his wife in their Melbourne home last year.

The 41-year-old, who worked as a lecturer in media and gender studies at Deakin University, stabbed his wife, Chen Cheng, after an argument over their two-year-old son's childcare in April 2022. 

"We were basically at each other with knives," Brown told police when he was arrested.

However, on Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice John Champion shut down Brown's story as he jailed him for up to 24 years. 

Justice Champion said there was a clear disparity between the 35-year-old mother's "catastrophic" fatal stab wounds and Brown's minor injuries.

"Ms Cheng fought for her life against your attack on her," he said.

"It is clear that you had an opportunity to stop, put the knife down and walk away from the argument. Instead, you engaged in what you knew to be morally abhorrent behaviour."

A former Deakin University lecturer has been sentenced to more than two decades in jail for the stabbing murder of his wife at their Croydon North home.

The victim's family in China say they're devastated her son will now grow up without her. @eliza_rugg9 #9News pic.twitter.com/o5QaUeHkz3

— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) May 30, 2023

Neighbours found Cheng dead in the backyard of the family's Croydon North unit on April 30. They rushed to the home after hearing her scream: "Help me, help me, he's trying to kill me."

Earlier that night, Cheng, who was born in China, was on WeChat to her mother for 77 minutes while she had dinner with Brown and their son. 

After the call, the couple began fighting in an upstairs room around 9.30pm, before moving down to their kitchen.

Justice Champion said Brown had been triggered by the argument when he entered into a "state of rage".

He felt humiliated by Cheng, and claimed he was trying to restrain her after she spat at him and hit him around his ears. 

He admitted the killing during his first police interview and later formally pleaded guilty to murder.

Cheng was physically smaller and more vulnerable than Brown, who overpowered her in the "savage and sustained attack", Justice Champion said.

Brown and Cheng met in 2016 after she moved to Melbourne for university. They married a year later, before Cheng gave birth to their son in 2020.

Chang's mother, who stayed with the couple after their son was born, witnessed arguments between them and became worried about their marriage when she returned home to China. She later started calling her daughter every day.

Justice Champion said the murder of an intimate partner was utterly reprehensible and all too common in Australia.

Brown had deprived his son of both his parents at a young age, he said, and Cheng's family of a beloved daughter, sister and niece.

"You have permanently impacted the lives of so many people," Justice Champion said in sentencing Brown.

Brown, who waved to family members as he was escorted out of court, will be eligible for parole after 17-and-a-half years. 

He has already served more than a year of his sentence.

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. 

- With AAP. 

Feature Image: Facebook.