Wife loses murder appeal

2008-10-06 08:04

Hong Kong - A US woman who bludgeoned her banker husband to death after lacing his milkshake with sedatives in one of Hong Kong's most sensational cases lost her appeal against conviction on Monday.

The Court of Appeal turned down Nancy Kissel's conviction for the 2003 murder, ruling there was "no merit" in the grounds she lodged for appeal.

"So the appeal is dismissed," presiding judge Michael Stuart-Moore said.

Kissel, dubbed the "Milkshake Murderer" who was sentenced to life in prison for the crime, sat motionless after hearing the verdict.

Wearing a black dress and dark-rimmed glasses, she needed the support of four security guards to prevent her from falling as she was finally escorted from court.

A disappointed Jean McGlothlin said her daughter would launch another appeal, this time to the city's highest court.

"We are very disappointed," McGlothlin told reporters outside court, flanked by a small group of Kissel's friends.

"We know that this case has merit... the Court of Final Appeal is going to look at it with integrity and that's the way it should be discussed."

The crime, which unravelled as a mix of adultery, violence, spying, greed and enormous wealth, gripped the former British colony and shocked the expatriate community.

Kissel was convicted of killing her high-flying husband Robert by adding a cocktail of sedatives to his milkshake and then bludgeoning him to death with a family ornament.

Kissel disposed of the body by rolling it up in an old carpet, before hiding it in storage space at their luxury apartment. She continued to sleep in the same room as the body for several nights, according to court testimony.

Prosecutors in the 2005 trial claimed Kissel stood to gain up to $18m dollars in insurance payouts from the investment banker's death.

Kissel's defence team painted her as a loving but long-suffering wife who had been subjected to regular violent attacks by a husband who abused cocaine and alcohol.

- AFP