Overview
- The sentencing on Thursday, May 28, 2026, imposed life with a minimum term of 29 years and 266 days after Donald Excell was convicted of murder and an offensive weapon charge.
- The court heard that on 12 February 2025 Excell walked to his cousin Rita Lambourne’s house, entered through an unlocked back door and struck her at least four times.
- Investigators built their case from CCTV showing a man carrying an axe and wearing matching clothing, plus items found months later when teenagers recovered a weighted bag with clothes and an axe sheath from a lake.
- Police divers later recovered the axe and a pathologist confirmed the blade dimensions matched Rita’s wounds, linking the weapon to the killing.
- Prosecutors pointed to Excell’s prior 2024 assault on a family member and to his efforts to dispose of evidence, and authorities said they hope the conviction brings some closure for the victim’s family and community.