A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal axe murder of his cousin in her own home. Donald Excell, 49, was found guilty of fatally attacking 58-year-old Rita Lambourne at her residence in Bexhill, East Sussex, on February 12, 2025.
Chilling CCTV Evidence
Chilling CCTV footage showed Excell calmly walking up to Ms Lambourne's home in the dead of night, carrying an axe. Moments later, he struck her at least four times with such force that the blade pierced her heart. Just three minutes after the attack, Excell casually walked out of the property.
Police described the incident as an "extremely distressing case." Ms Lambourne was on the phone to her partner at the time of the attack. He immediately contacted family members to check on her. Her sister, Claire Haldane, arrived to find Ms Lambourne lying in her living room and began CPR.
Trial and Conviction
Excell, from Seabourne Road, Bexhill, denied murder and possession of a bladed article but was convicted unanimously at Hove Crown Court in December. The trial heard that Ms Lambourne and Excell had gotten on fairly well until 2022 when there was a "falling out." Excell reportedly believed there had been a paedophile ring in the family, which Ms Lambourne had covered up.
Lucie Lambourne, Rita's daughter, described how Excell made her mother feel "petrified" when he "flipped." She recounted a time when he flew into a rage and accused her of "all sorts of horrible things that aren't true." Claire Haldane told jurors, "She said she was scared, she was terrified, she wasn't sure what he was going to do, but she wouldn't show him she was scared."
Discovery of the Murder Weapon
The police investigation stalled when officers were unable to find the weapon used in the killing. That changed when teenage boys discovered a rucksack containing clothing and a sheath for an axe while fishing at a lake north of Bexhill. Two weeks later, police divers found the axe during a search of the lake.
Detective Chief Inspector Alex Campbell said at the time of the guilty verdict: "This has been an extremely distressing case for everyone involved, particularly Rita's family and friends, as well as the wider community. We hope that this outcome provides some measure of closure for those who loved Rita."
Excell has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 31 years.
