A 70-year-old woman has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years for murdering her sister and stealing her gold Rolex watch. Nancy Pexton was convicted at the Old Bailey of killing Jennifer Abbott, a 69-year-old film director, in her flat in Camden, London, on 10 June last year.
The court heard that Pexton stabbed Abbott ten times and left her body to be discovered three days later. Sentencing on Friday, Judge Dhir said Pexton had intended to kill her sister, given the 'ferocity' of the attack. The judge noted that Pexton showed no remorse and displayed a 'deliberate and callous attitude' after the killing.
Judge Dhir described how Pexton taped her sister's mouth, calling it a 'deliberate act of degradation' that was 'callous, demeaning and cruel'. She added: 'This act demonstrates the depth of your animosity and hostility towards your sister. You took the watch because it was valuable and because you were jealous of your sister's greater financial security.'
Abbott was captured on a doorbell camera returning from walking her dog at 7.36am on the day of the murder. Pexton spoke to her by phone at 11.36am, travelled by bus to her flat at 12.45pm, and left an hour later. She then called her GP, reported taking an overdose, and was taken to hospital, where she was arrested on 18 June.
Abbott's partially naked body was found on the living room floor with gaffer tape over her mouth and a large slash wound across her neck. Her Rolex, a gift from her son, was recovered from Pexton's bag in hospital. Pexton claimed she had been given it to 'look after'. Abbott's son, Brad Carlson, told the court of a 'bubbling' resentment between his mother and aunt.
