A jury in a retrial at the Hong Kong high court has found Milkshake Murderer Nancy Kissel unanimously guilty of murder.
Kissel, who was accused of bludgeoning her husband, Robert Kissel, to death after drugging him with a sedative-laced strawberry milkshake, has pleaded not guilty but had admitted to the lesser crime of manslaughter. Her defense claimed that she had been the victim of physical and mental abuse and that she had suffered profound psychological distress that had led to her killing her husband in an “abnormality of violence.”
In Hong Kong, a murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. As the verdict of the jury was read out, Kissel reportedly rocked backwards and forwards while members of her family broke down. The judge, Justice Andrew Macrae, described the trial as a “difficult and very serious one” and that, despite the mitigating arguments that had been presented during the trial, he had no choice but to uphold Kissel’s life sentence.
Speaking to reporters Kissel’s Mother, Jean McGlothlin, said that she was “stunned” by the verdict and indicated that she was seriously worried about the psychological wellbeing of her daughter and her chances of surviving the life sentence.
Nancy’s children, who live with Robert Kissel’s sister now reside in the U.S. The Kissel family said in a statement: “We believe that justice has been done today with an unanimous verdict of murder, for the second time.
“The past few years have been a painful process of recovery, especially for the children, and now that the trail is concluded we shall continue to help rebuild their lives.”
The shocking story of the breakdown of an expatriate marriage has fascinated people in Hong Kong, inspiring books and a film.
