A man, Donald Excell, has been given a life sentence for the brutal murder of his cousin, Rita Lambourne, using an axe in her residence. The police described the incident as extremely distressing. The tragic event took place in Bexhill, East Sussex, on February 12, 2025, where Excell was captured on CCTV approaching Lambourne’s house with an axe late at night.
During the trial in December, it was revealed that Excell attacked Lambourne with the axe, striking her multiple times with such force that it pierced her heart. Shortly after the assault, Excell calmly left the scene. He has now been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 31 years.
At the time of the attack, Lambourne was speaking to her partner on the phone, who then alerted family members to check on her well-being. Her sister, Claire Haldane, arrived at the scene, finding Lambourne in critical condition and began performing CPR.
Excell, residing in Seabourne Road, Bexhill, had denied the charges of murder and possession of a bladed weapon but was unanimously convicted at Hove Crown Court. The trial disclosed that Excell and Lambourne had a falling out in 2022 due to Excell’s belief in a family-related conspiracy that Lambourne allegedly concealed.
Lucie Lambourne, the victim’s daughter, recounted how Excell instilled fear in her mother, especially when he became agitated and made false accusations. Claire Haldane, Lambourne’s sister, testified that Lambourne felt scared and unsure of Excell’s actions but did not show her fear.
The investigation faced obstacles initially when the murder weapon was missing. However, the discovery of a rucksack containing axe-related items by teenagers fishing at a lake north of Bexhill led to the recovery of the murder weapon by police divers two weeks later.
Detective Chief Inspector Alex Campbell expressed the distress caused by the case, especially to Rita’s family and the community, and hoped that the verdict would offer some closure to those affected.
