A man developed a jealous obsession with his ex-wife and begged her for sex before strangling her to death, Supreme Court heard.David DeSilva wrapped Denise Evans-Wilkinson’s body up in a tablecloth, tied it with kite string and threw it in the sea.A pathologist found the 46-year-old victim had been strangled and had had her own necklace “stuffed down her throat,” according to Director of Public Prosecutions Rory Field.Mr Field was recounting the gruesome details of the crime during a hearing in which DeSilva, 47, was supposed to be sentenced for killing the mother-of-three in April 2011.However, the court ran out of time to deal with the drug-abusing fisherman and the matter has been adjourned until next month.DeSilva, of Tulo Lane, Pembroke, pleaded guilty to manslaughter last month, on the day his murder trial was due to begin.Yesterday, Mr Field told Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons the defendant and victim had a sexual encounter on the date of her death, as evidenced by forensic tests on her body afterwards.That encounter came after DeSilva had been pestering his ex with texts and phone calls.Mr Field explained the pair had been married briefly, but divorced in 2002. She subsequently married again, to Robert Wilkinson, but was estranged from him.Ms Evans-Wilkinson had been in a relationship with another man, Winston Burgess, for a year before she died.The prosecutor explained she and DeSilva kept in touch after their divorce and socialised over the years, but phone records and statements from her friends indicate he became “obsessed” with reuniting with her in the period before her death.“The defendant was relentless in his pursuit of a sexual relationship with the deceased,” explained the prosecutor. He read graphic text messages sent by DeSilva to his ex-wife in March and April 2011.She sent abusive messages back in return, and told him to “back off”.Phone records show DeSilva texted her 228 times over that two-month period and phoned her 134 times. According to Mr Field, this demonstrates DeSilva’s “apparent obsession with the victim and his jealousy over her”.According to a friend of the victim named Clifford Burgess, DeSilva strangled Ms Evans-Wilkinson on an earlier occasion, in January 2011, and left her unconscious.DeSilva already had a court conviction for trying to choke his niece, Melissa Zimmerman, in 2009 and sending her a threatening text message. He also has convictions for other acts of violence and possession of drug equipment.Ms Evans-Wilkinson had her own problems with drugs and was due to begin a Drug Court programme on April 27, 2011, according to Mr Field.Her friends became worried for her welfare when she disappeared on April 24, 2011. She also failed to turn up for her court hearing.Mr Field said phone records indicated Ms Evans-Wilkinson went to DeSilva’s home on the date she disappeared, after he apparently offered her drugs.“What exactly took place between the defendant and victim leading up to her death is not known,” admitted the prosecutor.DeSilva was spotted on a boat in Boss’ Cove, Spanish Point, in the early hours of April 29, 2011.Ms Evans-Wilkinson’s body was found in the Mill’s Creek area later that day, with a tablecloth and blanket tied around her feet. There was kite string around her neck, wrists and feet, indicating the cloth had originally been wrapped around her entire body.An autopsy revealed death by strangulation — the hyoid bone in her neck was broken. A necklace with two pendants on it was found down her throat, according to Mr Field, who described this as “bizarre”.DeSilva was co-operative with police when questioned, but Ms Evans-Wilkinson’s phone records showed he’d lied when he told them he last saw her on April 21.Police arrested him on suspicion of murder. When they searched the home where he lived with his parents, a tablecloth matching the one used to bind the victim’s body was found in a pile of laundry.Mr Field read a victim impact statement to the court, filed by one of the victim’s three children. Daughter Danielle Thompson said: “A part of me died with my momma.”She added that by killing her mother, DeSilva robbed her of the chance to have her mother attend her 18th birthday party and high school graduation.“It’s clear the victim was a very well loved lady and a significant number of innocent people have had their lives badly hurt by what’s happened,” observed the prosecutor.A date for the sentencing process to continue with Mr Pettingill’s submissions will be set next week.