Wife 'wrapped hubby in carpet'

2005-08-11 14:32

Hong Kong - A United States housewife on trial for the murder of her wealthy banker husband in Hong Kong admitted on Thursday she arranged for the corpse to be put in storage wrapped up in an expensive carpet.

Nancy Kissel, 41, was accused of giving her husband, Robert, a milkshake laced with sedatives before she bludgeoned him to death with a metal statue in their luxury apartment complex on November 2 2003.

She had admitted to killing her 40-year-old husband, a New York native, but denied drugging him and had pleaded innocent to murder.

Prosecutor Peter Chapman had accused Kissel of fabricating events, saying she was able to hit her husband because he was drugged and unable to defend himself.

Body kept in storage room

Robert Kissel's body was found bundled in an expensive rug in a storage room near the couple's Hong Kong apartment.

Chapman pressed Kissel about the carpet containing her husband's body on Thursday during cross-examination.

Chapman asked the defendant: "Eventually, the rug containing Robert Kissel's body ...was removed from the apartment and placed in the storeroom?"

Kissel replied: "Yes."

According to previous testimony, maintenance workers at the apartment were asked by Kissel to help her haul the carpet to the storage room.

Kissel testified on Wednesday that she grabbed the statue and swung it over her head at her husband who was trying to have anal sex with her.

Physical, sexual abuse

Kissel had said earlier that her spouse, an investment banker at Merrill Lynch, regularly physically and sexually abused her, leading her to consider suicide.

She said his forehead was bleeding from the blow and that when she tried to help him, he picked up a baseball bat and threatened to kill her. She said she fended off his attacks with the statue.

Chapman also alleged that Kissel retreated to her bedroom during a police visit to the apartment and tried to hide bloodied clothes from the killing by stuffing them into her children's closet.

Kissel admitted going into her bedroom when police arrived, but said she could not recall moving any clothing.

If convicted, Kissel, who was born in Minneapolis, faces up to life in prison.

- AP