Northampton man convicted of raping and murdering wife

A Northampton man has been found guilty of raping and murdering his estranged wife and then staging her death to look like a suicide. Michael Thompson, 56, was convicted on Wednesday following a six-week trial at Nottingham Crown Court for the assault and murder of 43-year-old Kimberley Thompson, as well as two counts of perverting the course of justice.

The court heard that Thompson attacked Kimberley, known as Kim, in the early hours of Saturday, August 9, 2025, at their shared home on Pinewood Road in Northampton. According to police, sometime between midnight and 3:30 a.m., Thompson entered her bedroom, raped her, and suffocated her. He then staged the scene to resemble a suicide, fabricated messages on her social media accounts, and called for an ambulance at 5:30 a.m., telling paramedics and police that she had taken her own life.

The couple had been married for 19 years but were separated and living in separate bedrooms within the same house while their divorce was being finalized. Prosecutors argued that Thompson, a former bouncer, was motivated by anger over Kim's new relationship, her plans to move out, and her request for approximately 65,000 pounds in the divorce...