In the quiet, idyllic suburb of Woodcroft, Australia, Fred and Erlinda Soco were the couple everyone admired. Married for 44 years, the Filipino immigrants were pillars of their community and devout members of the religious group “Couples for Christ.”

Their social media was a testament to a perfect life: smiling photos from their travels, happy family gatherings with their four grown children, and loving portraits that earned comments like “lovely couple.” They were the go-to counselors for anyone facing marital strife, the living embodiment of a long and successful partnership.

That is why on May 2, 2020, their community was plunged into disbelief when 68-year-old Erlinda was found dead in their garage, and her loving husband, 75-year-old Fred, was arrested for her murder.

The tragedy began with a worried phone call. One of the Soco’s children grew concerned after being unable to reach either parent. A police welfare check soon turned into a homicide investigation. Officers forced their way into the silent home and found it empty.

But in the garage, they discovered Erlinda’s lifeless body. Medics were unable to revive her. With Fred and his car missing, an urgent search was launched, with police initially fearing the beloved grandfather had been kidnapped. The search ended when Fred was found, unharmed, at a train station, about to board a train. The feared second victim was now the prime suspect.

The public was stunned. How could a 44-year love story, one so visibly perfect, end in such a brutal act? The answer would only emerge two years later in a courtroom, revealing a dark, hidden life of torment, abuse, and secrets, all concealed behind a carefully constructed facade of happiness.

As the trial began, the prosecution painted a picture of a man who snapped and killed his wife. But Fred Soco’s defense attorney told a different, more complex story: Fred was not the aggressor, but the victim. He claimed that for the last two years of their marriage, ever since his retirement in 2018, he had been living in a private hell, suffering relentless domestic abuse at the hands of his wife.

According to Fred, Erlinda had transformed into a controlling, paranoid, and violent woman. She constantly accused him of infidelity, her jealousy spiraling out of control. He testified that she would hit him with her shoes and slippers, even as he was driving. Her verbal abuse was constant.

Most terrifyingly, he claimed she would threaten him with knives, and that she had hidden blades in every room of the house. The fear became so great that he was forced to sleep in a separate bedroom, terrified he might be killed in his sleep.

The prosecution questioned why a woman would become so obsessed. Fred’s testimony provided two key catalysts. The first was a birthday card Erlinda found, addressed to Fred from another woman. In court, the woman testified she had given him the card two years prior and that their relationship was purely platonic.

But for Erlinda, it was proof. The second, and far more damaging discovery, was a G-string. Fred confessed in court that in 2014, he had a one-time encounter at a massage parlor that offered “extra services.” In a moment of profound foolishness, he kept the woman’s G-string as a “souvenir.”

When Erlinda found it years later, it became the undeniable proof her paranoid mind was searching for, validating her worst fears and fueling her rage.

Despite the turmoil at home, the Socos were masters of deception. They were so deeply invested in their reputation as a perfect, religious couple that they couldn’t bear the shame of admitting their marriage was failing. They hid the truth from their four children and continued to smile for photos, attend church, and offer advice to others, all while their own relationship was a war zone.

Their daughter testified that just two days before the murder, she witnessed her mother screaming at her father in the kitchen, wielding a knife and hitting him with a slipper over the contents of his phone.

On the morning of May 2, 2020, the facade finally crumbled. Fred testified that Erlinda woke him by throwing a remote control at him and beating him with a long object. She was screaming about $17,000 missing from their bank account, money she was convinced he had spent on a mistress.

Fred fled to the garage to escape the assault, but she followed, continuing to hit and scream at him. It was there, he said, that he finally snapped. Describing her facial expression as being like a “tiger,” he claimed he was in fear for his life and, in a desperate attempt to end the attack, he strangled her.

In March 2023, after accepting a plea deal for the lesser charge of manslaughter, Fred Soco faced sentencing. The judge, acknowledging the complex circumstances and Fred’s clean record, sentenced him to seven and a half years in prison. With time already served, the 75-year-old man who killed his wife of 44 years could be eligible for parole as early as May 2024.

The case leaves behind a devastating legacy—a story of how the immense pressure to appear perfect can mask a reality of unbearable pain, and how a lifetime of secrets can erupt in a single, tragic moment of violence.