A “callous and cruel” woman who slit the throat of her film director sister before making off with her diamond-encrusted gold Rolex watch has been jailed for at least 22 years.
Nancy Pexton, 70, was fuelled by jealousy when she launched a “ferocious” attack on Jennifer Abbott, 69, last June 10, slashing and stabbing her 10 times at her home in Camden, north London.
She then taped up her mouth with gaffer tape in an “intentional act of degradation” and left her partially naked body on her sofa to rot, the Old Bailey heard.
Ms Abbott’s body was found three days later without her prized Rolex watch after a neighbour broke in because he was concerned about her corgi dog Prince.
When confronted by police Pexton, of no fixed address, had claimed Ms Abbott gave her the watch to look after.
She attempted to explain away the blood on her dungrees by claiming her sibling had a nosebleed as she hugged her.
However, jurors saw messages on Pexton’s phone stating: “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.”
Pexton was found guilty of murder and jailed for life on Friday with a minimum term of 22 years.
In a televised sentencing, Judge Anuja Dhir KC told Pexton 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 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, 69-year-old 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 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 Ms Abbott had confided in her nephew that she was scared for her safety as Pexton was “capable of anything”.
The US citizen was last seen alive on a doorbell camera as she returned from walking her dog 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.
A neighbour used a scaffolding pole to break down Ms Abbott’s door because he could not hear her dog barking.
Ms Abbott’s decomposing body was in the living room and her corgi trapped in the kitchen.
There was no sign of the Rolex watch, which Mr Carlson had given his mother, and there was evidence of a “clean-up” in the flat, the court heard.
Pexton, who was suffering from depression, initially told police she had no memory of the 90 minutes covering the time spent in her flat.
She 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: “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.
Detective Inspector Barry Hart, from Scotland Yard, said: “The sentence handed down today reflects the gravity of this murder and ensures that Pexton will spend a substantial period of time in prison.
“From the outset, Pexton denied responsibility for her sister’s death, but the evidence uncovered during this investigation tells a different story. Throughout the determined investigation, officers were able to unpick Pexton’s action and support the successful prosecution that has brought about today’s sentence.”
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