Kerrie Lee Catling pleads guilty to manslaughter of husband in Supreme Court in Rockhampton
Kerrie Catling, right, has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Chris Catling, left. (Supplied)
A mother-of-four has pleaded guilty to manslaughter more than three years after killing her husband in central Queensland.
Chris Catling was 51 when he died in hospital after he was stabbed in the chest in his family home in north Rockhampton on March 22, 2021.
A court previously heard emergency services found Mr Catling sitting in a lounge chair having been stabbed "with a knife that had a trajectory in a downward motion".
It also heard he had no defensive wounds and there was no evidence of "moving around" and a lack of significant blood elsewhere in the home.
His wife, Kerrie Lee Catling, was charged with one count of murder in August that year.
Chris Catling died after he was stabbed in the chest in the family home. (Facebook)
With family sitting in court on Monday, Catling appeared via video link for her arraignment in the Supreme Court in Rockhampton.
She pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter.
Justice Graeme Crow discharged Catling's murder charge.
Mr Catling's mother and sister were present in court and wept as the charges were downgraded.
She was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on April 23.
Court hears of difficult relationship
In August 2021, Catling's defence lawyer Michael Copley told the Brisbane Supreme court his client and her husband had an "unhealthy relationship" and there was evidence she was "subjected to violence".
Mr Copley said witness statements revealed that in 2014, Catling told a friend, "You don't know what it's like living in an abusive relationship".
Another statement also revealed that in 2015, she told another friend, "Chris is abusive, and no-one knows the real Chris".
But in the same conversation, Catling said he was the "most wonderful husband", Mr Copley told the court.
The court heard that after her husband's death, Catling had allegedly made attempts to have family members "change their story" about Mr Catling being violent toward her.