Jennifer Abbott murder: Nancy Pexton murdered film director sister and stole her Rolex watch, court hears

A woman fatally slashed her sister in the neck and stole her diamond-encrusted gold Rolex watch, a court heard.

Nancy Pexton, 69, is accused of murdering her sister Jennifer Abbott at her flat in Camden, north London, on June 10, 2025.

On June 13, a neighbor forced open Ms. Abbott’s door, worried she wouldn’t be able to hear her dog barking.

He found her body on the living room floor with a wound on her neck and a tape around her mouth.

He was not wearing his Rolex watch, which he was “very attached to” and usually never took off, jurors heard.

Pexton, of no fixed address, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of murdering Ms Abbott.

Opening the case on Thursday, prosecutor Bill Boyce KC said there was no evidence Ms Abbott was alive after Pexton visited her on June 10.

Ms Abbott was last seen on doorbell camera footage returning to her block after walking her dog at 7.36am that day.

The sisters spoke on the phone at 11.36 in the morning, and Pexton went home by bus at 12.45 and stayed there for an hour.

Mr Boyce said Pexton, 69, who allegedly killed his sister, called his GP and told him he had overdosed.

He was taken to the hospital by ambulance before his arrest on June 18, jurors heard.

Mr Boyce told jurors: “He said he couldn’t remember what happened in the last 90 minutes, which was undoubtedly the period when we said he was in his sister’s flat, when we said he killed his sister.”

In the two days after Ms Abbott’s death there were a number of missed calls from her son Brad Carlson, who was living abroad, the court was told.

Jurors heard Ms Abbott’s body was found at her flat in Mornington Place on the afternoon of June 13.

The victim’s niece, Mai Pexton, had gone to the property and banged on the door, shouting “her auntie”.

A neighbor decided to break down the door with a scaffolding pole because he could not hear Ms Abbott’s corgi dog Prince barking, which was unusual, the court heard.

He called emergency services when he found Ms Abbott’s partially naked and decomposing body on the ground.

He had a large, gaping “slash-type” wound on his neck and had tape over his mouth, jurors heard.

Mr Boyce said Ms Abbott’s corgi was locked in the bathroom and was freed by firefighters.

The prosecutor told jurors: “He was in desperate need of a toilet but was fed, watered and given to Mai to be taken away in good health.”

He told the court Ms Abbott often wore her Cartier bracelet and gold diamond-encrusted Rolex watch, which had “real sentimental value”.

Mr Boyce said the watch, which Ms Abbott “never took off” and was “very attached to”, was later found when police searched Pexton’s bag.

The defendant allegedly replied: “Oh yes, that’s my sister’s. She asked me to look after her.”

The autopsy revealed that Ms. Abbott had suffered multiple stab and slash wounds and a single defensive wound on her right hand.

Before being taken to hospital, Pexton allegedly told the 999 dispatcher that she was being abused by her family but did not want to report anyone because they were “too powerful” and could kill her.

The defendant also claimed that he “passed out” and didn’t know what he was doing.

The court heard Pexton, who was wearing a black cowboy hat and blue overalls, was said to be covered in his sister’s blood “from head to toe” following the murder.

He claimed he asked one of his daughters to take the clothes and wash them or throw them away while he was in hospital, jurors heard.

The defendant explained that he bled from hugging his sister, whose nose was bleeding.

But Mr Boyce claimed Ms Abbott’s blood was everywhere when Pexton cut her 10 times.

Pexton allegedly told police that he and his sister had “always been close” and that they shared “secrets” and “the depths of our feelings.”

He claimed the victim was in good spirits as he left Ms Abbott, jurors heard.

The day before police found Ms Abbott’s watch in Pexton’s bag, the woman said: “I don’t know if Jennifer was wearing her Rolex that day. She never took it off, she always wore it.”

The defendant, who was nine months younger than the victim and turned 70 on Friday, was effectively homeless and was staying near Baker Street.

Mr. Boyce said the real issue in the case was whether Pexton, who had two adult daughters, was responsible for killing his sister.

He has denied murder and the Old Bailey trial continues.