A 70-year-old woman has been found guilty of murdering her film director sister in a brutal attack that involved stabbing her 10 times and stealing her diamond-encrusted Rolex watch. Nancy Pexton slashed and stabbed her sibling Jennifer Abbott at her flat in Camden, north London, before leaving her body for three days.
The Attack and Aftermath
On June 10 last year, Ms Abbott, 69, was last seen alive on a doorbell camera returning from walking her corgi Prince at 7:36 am. Pexton spoke to her by phone at 11:36 am and traveled by bus to her Mornington Place flat at 12:45 pm, leaving an hour later. She then called her GP, reported taking an overdose, and was taken to hospital, where she stayed until her arrest on June 18.
Three days later, a neighbor used a scaffolding pole to break down Ms Abbott's door after becoming concerned he could not hear her dog barking. Ms Abbott's partially naked and decomposing body was found on the living room floor with gaffer tape over her mouth and a large, gaping slash-type wound across her neck. Her corgi had been trapped in the kitchen and was freed by firefighters.
The Rolex Watch
Ms Abbott's diamond-encrusted gold Rolex watch, a gift from her son Brad Carlson that she never took off, was missing. It was later recovered by police from Pexton's bag after they visited her in hospital. When questioned, Pexton claimed she had been given it to look after. However, prosecutor Bill Boyce KC argued that Ms Abbott would never have given away her prized Rolex, stating: The reality, of course, is that the defendant took the watch having stabbed her sister to do so.
Family Tension and Threats
In the days after the murder, Ms Abbott's son, who lives abroad, had numerous missed calls. He described a bubbling resentment between his mother and aunt. Jurors also heard that Ms Abbott told her nephew she feared for her safety as Pexton was capable of anything. In November 2024, Pexton sent a message saying: You know I was planning to kill you but it was just a thought, I would never hurt you, and warned Ms Abbott to watch your back from those you conned and stole money from.
Further evidence of resentment was found in notes on Pexton's phone, where she referred to thinking about killing her evil sister. Pexton later claimed she was just venting and that she loved her sister. She said she had no memory of the 90 minutes spent in the flat.
Blood Evidence
Pexton was wearing a black cowboy hat and blue dungarees covered in her sister's blood from top to bottom. She asked one of her daughters to wash or dispose of the clothes. She claimed the blood came from hugging her sister during a nosebleed, but scientific analysis did not support this. An examination of the flat showed evidence of an attempted cleanup.
Verdict and Sentencing
Pexton, of no fixed address, denied wrongdoing and declined to give evidence, appearing via videolink from Bronzefield jail. Following the guilty verdict, Judge Anuja Dhir KC adjourned sentencing to Friday.
Detective Inspector Barry Hart from Scotland Yard said: Our thoughts remain with Jennifer's family and loved ones, and I hope today's outcome provides them with some measure of comfort. Jennifer should have been able to feel safe in her own home. Instead, she was betrayed by someone she trusted, and the circumstances surrounding her death were profoundly unsettling.
Devi Kharran from the Crown Prosecution Service added: Nancy Pexton carried out a brutal and callous attack, killing her own sister. Despite her repeated denials, the evidence presented in court by the prosecution all pointed to one clear conclusion, and Pexton was found guilty of murder.
