A multimillionaire private equity boss was discovered dead at his London home following a heated argument with his wife, an inquest has heard. Joshua Pack, 51, the chief behind Majestic Wines and Poundstretcher, was found with a ligature around his neck in a locked bedroom at a property in St John’s Wood in September.
Pack, whose investment company is valued at £37 billion, had argued with his wife of 28 years, Jacqueline Pack, the night before his death. In a statement to Inner West London Coroner’s Court, Mrs Pack said her husband was stressed about work and jet-lagged as he managed the American fund’s expansion into Europe. The couple had been drinking on and off before the row escalated.
Mrs Pack described how the argument turned violent, with her husband throwing her phone and hitting himself with it, then taking out a knife and saying, 'Stick it into me.' Both threatened suicide, but Mrs Pack said she never thought he meant it. The following morning, she left for the airport after learning he had checked in for his flight to Dallas, but he had been automatically checked in by the airline.
Housekeepers entered the locked bedroom via a crawl space and found Pack dead. Cleaners reported hearing the couple rowing all night. Detectives found no evidence of third-party involvement or that Pack had planned his death. Mrs Pack described him as her best friend and a devout Catholic who would not have wanted to end his life.
The senior coroner, Professor Fiona Wilcox, recorded a verdict of death by misadventure, stating that while Pack had ended his own life, there was insufficient evidence of intent to rule it a suicide. She noted his impulsive behaviour, jet lag, stress from a large work deal, and alcohol consumption. Pack, a father of four, was born in Hawaii and met his wife at school in Texas.
