A woman who stabbed her film director sister to death before stealing her Rolex and locking the victim’s dog in a bathroom has been jailed for life.
Nancy Pexton, 70, was told she will spend a minimum of 22 years in prison before being considered for parole over the violent murder of her sibling Jennifer Abbott Dauward.
Homeless Pexton, who ‘spent her life on benefits’, is said to have been ‘jealous’ of her sister, who was nine months her senior, and stabbed her in the neck then left her body to decompose in her flat in Camden, north London.
Judge Anuja Dhir KC described Pexton as ‘callous and cruel’ as she sentenced her at the Old Bailey today.
She said: ‘Jennifer Abbott was a much loved mother, grandmother and neighbour.
‘To kill her in a vicious attack has brought profound grief and misery to her family and friends.
‘The text messages shown to the jury demonstrate the volatile and difficult relationship you had with Jennifer Abbott.
‘Some of your messages revealed a deep animosity and anger towards her.
Nancy Paxton, left, murdered her sister, film director Jennifer Abbott Dauward
‘You also sent messages demonstrating your affection for her.
‘Having considered all the evidence I cannot be sure that your intention to kill your sister was premeditated.
US citizen Ms Abbott, 69, was last seen alive on a doorbell camera as she returned from walking her corgi Prince the morning she was killed on June 10 last year.
Pexton turned up at the modest 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 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.
Her niece Mai Pexton – the killer’s daughter – had been seen banging on the door and screaming for her ‘auntie’.
Ms Abbott’s partially naked and decomposing body was found on the living room floor with gaffer tape over her mouth.
The victim, left, said her sister, right, was jealous of her
Pexton also stole her sister’s diamond-encrusted gold Rolex watch
She had a large, gaping ‘slash-type’ wound across her neck and gaffer tape across her mouth, jurors heard.
Ms Abbott’s corgi had been trapped in the kitchen and was freed by firefighters.
A post-mortem examination found Ms Abbott had sustained a number of stab and slash wounds and a single defensive wound to the right hand.
Her Rolex watch, a gift from her son Brad Carlson which she never took off, was missing.
It was later recovered by police from Pexton’s bag after they visited her in hospital.
When quizzed about it, Pexton said she had been given it to ‘look after’.
However, prosecutor Bill Boyce KC suggested Ms Abbott would never have given away her ‘prized Rolex watch’.
He told jurors: ‘The reality, of course, is that the defendant took the watch having stabbed her sister to do so.’
Ms Abbott was also known as Sarah Steinberg, pictured above with Keanu Reeves
Pexton was arrested in hospital by police a week after her sister’s murder
Ms Abbott, pictured with her beloved Corgi called Prince, who was locked in a bathroom for three days when she was murdered
In the two days after Ms Abbott’s death, there were numerous missed calls from her son Mr Carlson, who lives abroad.
Mr Carlson described a ‘bubbling’ resentment between his mother and aunt.
Giving evidence via videolink, Mr Carlson said: ‘There was interaction and sometimes anger and hostility between my mother and Nancy, there was resentment seemingly bubbling up.’
Jurors also heard how Ms Abbott – whose directorial credits include War Of The Gods, a documentary about religion – told her nephew that she was scared for her safety as Pexton was ‘capable of anything’.
In November 2024, she had shared a message in which Pexton told her: ‘You know I was planning to kill you but it was just a thought, I would never hurt you.’
The message went on to warn Ms Abbott to ‘watch your back from those you conned and stole money from’.
Pexton denied murder but did not give evidence in her Old Bailey trial
Pexton, 70, suggested a local drug dealer was responsible for her sister’s death
Pexton wrote: ‘You never know they could get you while you walking your dog. Be careful honey, I worry about you. You so many enemy (sic).’
At the time, Ms Abbott asked her nephew if she should take out a restraining order.
Further evidence of Pexton’s resentment were found in a series of notes on her phone in which she referred to thinking about killing her ‘evil’ sister and complained about other family members.
Pexton later told police she had just been ‘venting’ her feelings and that she really loved her sister.
She claimed to have no memory of the 90 minutes covering the time spent in her flat.
On that day, she had been wearing a black cowboy hat and blue dungarees which were covered in her sister’s blood ‘from top to bottom’.
Jurors were told that Pexton had asked one of her daughters to take the clothes away and wash them or throw them away.
The defendant, who has two grown-up daughters, went on to explain that the blood got on her clothes when she hugged her sister who had suffered a nosebleed.
But Mr Boyce said scientific analysis did not support her claim and suggested Ms Abbott’s blood went everywhere when Pexton slashed and cut her 10 times.
An examination of Ms Abbott’s flat also showed evidence that someone had tried to ‘clean up’, he said.
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.
Detective Inspector Barry Hart, from Scotland Yard, said: ‘Our thoughts remain with Jennifer’s family and loved ones, and I hope today’s outcome provides them with some measure of comfort.
‘Jennifer should have been able to feel safe in her own home.
‘Instead, she was betrayed by someone she trusted, and the circumstances surrounding her death were profoundly unsettling.
‘This case consisted of relentless investigative work, where we undertook extensive forensic, CCTV and digital inquiries to establish Pexton’s movements on the day of Jennifer’s murder.
‘The determination of the investigation team has ensured that Pexton has been held fully accountable for her actions.’
Devi Kharran, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: ‘Nancy Pexton carried out a brutal and callous attack, killing her own sister.
‘Despite her repeated denials, the evidence presented in court by the prosecution all pointed to one clear conclusion, and Pexton was found guilty of murder. ‘
