A 70-year-old woman has been found guilty of murdering her film director sister and stealing her diamond-encrusted gold Rolex watch. Nancy Pexton faces a life sentence after stabbing Jennifer Abbott 10 times at her flat in Camden, north London, on June 10 last year. The victim's body was left for three days before being discovered.
Details of the Crime
Pexton, who had spent her life on benefits and was homeless, harbored jealousy toward her sibling, whom she referred to as 'evil,' jurors heard. After the murder, Pexton sent her own daughter to check on Ms Abbott, knowing she would find the body. The victim's Corgi, Prince, was found alive but trapped in the bathroom, having survived three days without food or water.
Ms Abbott, a 69-year-old US citizen, was last seen on doorbell camera returning from walking her dog at 7:36 am. Pexton spoke to her by phone at 11:36 am, then traveled by bus to the Mornington Place flat at 12:45 pm, leaving an hour later. Though Pexton did not give evidence, she claimed to police that she left her sister alive and suggested a drug dealer in the building visited later.
On June 13, a neighbor broke down the door using a scaffolding pole after becoming concerned about the dog's silence. Ms Abbott's partially naked and decomposing body lay on the living room floor with gaffer tape over her mouth. She had been stabbed 10 times to the neck and chest, with a large slash wound across her neck. The Corgi was freed by firefighters from the kitchen.
The Missing Rolex
A post-mortem revealed multiple stab and slash wounds, plus a defensive wound on her right hand. The diamond-encrusted Rolex, a gift from her son Brad Carlson that she never removed, was missing. Police later recovered it from Pexton's bag during a hospital visit. Pexton claimed she was asked to 'look after' the watch, but prosecutor Bill Boyce KC argued Ms Abbott would never have parted with her prized possession. He stated, 'The reality, of course, is that the defendant took the watch having stabbed her sister to do so.'
Family Tensions and Threats
After the murder, Ms Abbott's son, who lives abroad, had numerous missed calls from his mother. He described a 'bubbling resentment' between the sisters. In November 2024, Ms Abbott shared a message from Pexton that read: 'You know I was planning to kill you but it was just a thought, I would never hurt you.' The message also warned Ms Abbott to 'watch your back from those you conned and stole money from.' At that time, Ms Abbott considered seeking a restraining order.
Further evidence of Pexton's animosity was found in notes on her phone, where she wrote about killing her 'evil' sister and complained about other family members. Pexton later told police she was merely 'venting' and that she loved her sister. She claimed no memory of the 90 minutes she spent in the flat.
On the day of the murder, Pexton wore a black cowboy hat and blue dungarees, which were soaked in her sister's blood 'from top to bottom.' She asked one of her daughters to wash or discard the clothes. Pexton explained the blood by claiming she hugged her sister after a nosebleed, but scientific analysis contradicted this. The prosecutor noted that Ms Abbott's blood splattered during the attack, and someone had attempted to clean the flat.
Following the guilty verdict, Judge Anuja Dhir KC adjourned sentencing to Friday. Pexton appeared via videolink from HMP Bronzefield, sobbing as the verdict was read.
