American woman loses Hong Kong murder appeal
Monday, 06 Oct 2008 09:26
Nancy Kissel has lost an appeal against the conviction of beating her husband to death
An America woman has lost an appeal against her conviction of beating her husband to death in Hong Kong.
Nancy Kissel, 44, from Minnesota was convicted in 2005 of giving her husband Robert a milkshake laced with sedatives before beating him to death with a metal ornament in 2003.
The housewife maintained she was defending herself from an abusive husband and had appealed against her conviction and life sentence.
The court of appeal, however, rejected the appeal earlier today.
Defence attorney Simon Clarke said he was "very disappointed in the ruling" but admitted he was not surprised. "This court doesn't uphold many appeals at all. But we are expecting a better hearing at the Court of Final Appeal," he said.
The judges on Monday did not give approval for her case to proceed to the higher court and Kissel must now apply for permission for the court to hear her case.
The 44-year-old is reported to have injured her knee while in prison and limped out of the court room on Monday.
Her mother, Jean McGlothlin, said she was struggling physically but "her spirit is strong. Her will is strong. Her heart and mind are strong".
Kissel maintains that her husband, an investment banker for Merrill Lynch, was threatening her with a baseball bat when she killed him.
Prosecution lawyers, however, argued that she had plotted to kill her husband and he was seeking a divorce from her.
Mr Kissel's estate was reportedly worth $18 million (£10.25 million) at the time of his death.