A man in Britain murdered his estranged wife before she went to take a shower at a leisure center and later claimed mysterious voices in his head had ordered the murder, a court has heard. The victim, 37-year-old Pariya Vessey, was stabbed multiple times at her husband Alireza Askari’s home in Cardiff after the couple had separated and she had moved out less than two weeks earlier. Prosecutors said the attack appeared to have been planned, with Askari having purchased kitchen knives earlier that day. After the murder, she allegedly attempted to conceal the crime with the help of a relative, burying Vesey’s body in a makeshift grave in the garden and sending messages from her phone to make it appear that she had left the country.Cardiff Crown Court heard that Vesey went to Askari’s home on Foster Drive in Penylan on April 12, 2025, following a phone call between the pair. Soon after her arrival, Ascari stabbed her multiple times in the neck and upper chest inside the home’s conservatory, prosecutors said.A witness sitting in a car outside the property at the time told investigators that they heard a scream that sounded “like something out of a horror movie.” Prosecutors believe Vesey screamed at the moment she was attacked.Vessey, originally from Iran, had recently left home and started renting a new property in Cardiff while working as a hairdresser at a salon in Canton.Instead of immediately reporting the incident, the court heard Askari left the property immediately after the attack and headed towards the David Lloyd leisure center in Cardiff. There, he reportedly took a bath while a man who was with him earlier waited nearby.During that time, Askari also called a woman in Iran who prosecutors believe was his girlfriend. The unusual sequence of events, including going to the gym immediately after the murder, became a key detail in the prosecution’s case.Prosecutors said Askari then contacted his aunt, Mary Delawari, who flew from London to Cardiff to help him clean the house and dispose of the body.The pair used bleach and cleaning materials to remove blood from the conservatory floor before digging a hole in the backyard garden. Vesey’s body was buried in a makeshift grave in an area that was previously a pond. Soil, concrete patio slabs, and newly purchased flowers were placed over the burial site to conceal it.To create the impression that Vessey had gone voluntarily, Askari reportedly sent messages from his phone claiming that he had traveled to Iran for medical reasons. His car was also removed from its usual place.Concerned friends eventually reported Vesey missing, prompting a police investigation. Officers later searched the Foster Drive property and found her body buried in the garden.Askari was arrested while returning from a trip to Birmingham, where he had purchased caustic soda, a highly corrosive chemical prosecutors say he planned to use to destroy the remains.Delawari was arrested separately in London for his role in helping to conceal the crime.During police interrogation, Askari claimed to suffer from schizophrenia and said that voices in his head had told him what actions to take. He also told investigators that an unknown person named “Hassan” had instructed him to take steps that would conceal the crime.Prosecutors rejected the explanation, arguing that the evidence showed planning and deliberate efforts to conceal the murder.Ascari later admitted to murdering Vesey, while DeLavery pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice. It is expected that the court will pronounce the sentence after hearing further arguments.