Overview
- A jury at Nottingham Crown Court unanimously found Michael Thompson guilty on Wednesday of raping and murdering his estranged wife, Kimberley Thompson, after a seven-week trial.
- Prosecutors and police say Thompson entered Kimberley’s bedroom in the early hours of 9 August 2025, suffocated her, then arranged items and posted messages to make the death look like a suicide before calling for help.
- Jurors also convicted Thompson of two counts of perverting the course of justice for actions to cover up the rape and murder and for manufacturing messages to support a false narrative.
- Evidence presented at trial described years of controlling and physical abuse, that Kimberley was planning to leave during divorce proceedings, and that friends had warned she feared for her safety.
- Police reopened a 2000 inquiry into the death of Thompson’s former partner during the investigation but closed it for insufficient evidence, and Thompson will be sentenced next week with victim-support groups urging people in abusive relationships to seek help.