Rachel Nickell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rachel Jane Nickell 23 November 1968 |
| Died | 15 July 1992 (aged 23) Wimbledon Common, London, England |
| Cause of death | Stab wounds |
Rachel Jane Nickell (23 November 1968 – 15 July 1992) was a British woman who was stabbed to death on Wimbledon Common in south-west London on 15 July 1992. The initial police investigation of the crime resulted in the arrest in controversial circumstances of an innocent man, who was acquitted. Her killer, Robert Napper, was identified by a later police investigation and convicted in 2008.
Nickell was walking with her two-year-old son on Wimbledon Common when she was stabbed 49 times in the neck and torso and died at the scene. A lengthy police investigation to find the perpetrator followed, during which a suspect was wrongfully charged and later acquitted—before the case went cold.
In 2002, with more advanced forensic techniques, the case was reopened. On 18 December 2008, Robert Napper pleaded guilty to Nickell's manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. Napper, who was already detained at high-security Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire for a 1993 double murder, was ordered to be detained there indefinitely.