Jealous woman who stabbed sister to death and stole her Rolex jailed for life

A ‘callous and cruel’ woman who slit her own sister’s throat and stole her diamond-encrusted Rolex has been jailed for life.

Nancy Pexton, 70, slashed and stabbed 69-year-old Jennifer Abbott 10 times at her flat in Camden, north London, on June 10 last year.

She left her dead or dying with her mouth covered with adhesive tape in a last ‘act of degradation’, having previously written that her sister had destroyed her life ‘with her mouth’.

When the family became worried about Ms Abbott, Pexton sent her own daughter to check on her knowing she would find her auntie dead.

Pexton, of no fixed address, was found guilty of murder at the Old Bailey and was jailed for life on Friday with a minimum term of 22 years.

When police recovered the Rolex from Pexton’s bag, she claimed her sister had given it to her to ‘look after’.

Pexton went on to claim she got blood all over her clothes when she hugged Ms Abbott while she was having a nosebleed.

However, messages from months before exposed the depths of Pexton’s jealousy and animosity towards her more successful sibling.

She wrote: ‘I’m planning to kill my sister whom I love but she destroyed my life.

‘Loose lips, loose lips can sink ships – and she sank my ship.’

Sentencing, Judge Anuja Dhir KC told Pexton that she was sure she intended to kill her sister, given the ‘ferocity’ of the attack.

She said: ‘Your actions and conduct after the killing demonstrates not only your absence of remorse but also a deliberate and callous attitude towards what you had done.’

The judge said that taping up her sister’s mouth was a ‘deliberate act of degradation’ which 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.’

Earlier, Ms Abbott’s only son Brad Carlson described the killing as a ‘monstrous’ and ‘heinous’ act by a person he had tried to help in the past.

Mr Carlson said the loss of his mother, who devoted herself to supporting him, was an ‘unbelievable nightmare’.

Paying tribute, he described Ms Abbott as his ‘hero’ and ‘role model’, who had climbed out of her early difficulties in life, bought property, wrote books and made movies.

He said: ‘She was a single mother raising her only child, committed to providing me with the life she was not lucky enough to have – boarding school, quality education.

‘Most importantly she gave me love and a feeling of belonging and pride. She was my whole world, she was everything to me.’

Previously, the court heard how US citizen Ms Abbott was last seen alive on a doorbell camera as she returned from walking her corgi Prince at 7.36am on June 10 last year.

Pexton spoke to her by phone at 11.36am and travelled by bus to her Mornington Place flat at 12.45pm, leaving an hour later.

She then called her GP, reported taking an overdose and was taken to hospital where she stayed before her arrest on June 18.

On June 13, a neighbour 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.

She had a large, gaping ‘slash-type’ wound across her neck and gaffer tape across her mouth.

Ms Abbott’s corgi had been trapped in the kitchen and was freed by firefighters.

Her Rolex watch, a gift from Mr Carlson which she never took off, was missing.

Months before, Ms Abbott had confided to her nephew that she was scared for her safety as Pexton was ‘capable of anything’.

In notes on her phone, Pexton, who was suffering from depression, wrote that she was thinking about killing her ‘evil’ sister.

Following her arrest, Pexton told police she had just being ‘venting’ her feelings and had no memory of the 90 minutes covering the time spent in her flat.

However, an examination of her black cowboy hat and blue dungarees revealed they were covered in her sister’s blood.

Ms Abbott’s flat also showed evidence that someone had tried to ‘clean up’.

Pexton, of no fixed address, had denied wrongdoing and declined to give evidence in her trial, opting to appear in court by videolink from Bronzefield jail.

Devi Kharran, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: ‘Today, Nancy Pexton has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 22 years’ imprisonment for the murder of her own sister, Jennifer Abbott.

‘Ms Abbott’s death is an unimaginable tragedy. Whilst no sentence can bring her back, I hope today’s outcome can give her family and friends some sense of closure. They have shown tremendous strength throughout this process, and our thoughts remain with them.

‘Pexton carried out a brutal and callous attack, taking Ms Abbott’s life in the very place she should have felt safest, at the hands of someone she should have been able to trust. She then attempted to cover her tracks, took her sister’s most treasured possession, and repeatedly denied what she had done.

‘This was a complex case, but working closely with the Metropolitan Police, we as prosecutors carefully examined witness accounts, forensic evidence, phone data and CCTV to piece together the truth and ensure Jennifer Abbott received the justice she deserved.’

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