The Nancy Kissel Case - Part 19

(The Standard)  Blood stains spattered around bedroom.  By Albert Wong.  July 5, 2005.

A police scientific officer testified in the High Court Monday that when he first arrived at a suspected murder scene - the master bedroom of the Kissel's Parkview residence - he found blood stains on the bed, the carpet and on articles around the room.

Nancy Kissel, 41 is accused of serving her husband, former Merrill Lynch banker Robert Kissel, a pink milkshake laced with sedatives which left him unconscious at the foot of the bed while she bludgeoned him to death with a heavy metal ornament on November 2, 2003.

Friends and family have testified that they had been informed the former banker was due to discuss divorce with his wife that night because he believed she was having an affair.  The accused has denied the murder charge and is out on bail.  She told a private doctor and police officers at the time that her husband was drunk and beat her after she refused him sex, and then disappeared.  Robert Kissel's decomposing body was found in the early hours of November 7, wrapped in a carpet in a storeroom at the Parkview residential complex, Tai Tam.

On Monday, police officer Tam Chi-chung, who conducted the first scientific search of the bedroom at the Kissel residence on November 7, testified that he found small spots of blood on the walls, the headboard of the bed, a picture frame, the top of a side table, the side of a wardrobe and on the television. There was also a large brown stain on the bed beneath the bedcovers, Tam said.

He also used chemical tests to confirm that the large stain on the carpet at the foot of the bed, originally concealed by an overlaying carpet, was blood.  Tam said a piece of cloth from the foot of the bed had been ripped off.

Under cross-examination by defense counsel Alexander King, SC, Tam said that he only used the test once - on that large stain on the carpet - to confirm that stains around the room were blood.

Earlier Monday, police officer Chan Ping-kong testified that he went to Parkview at about 7pm and was instructed to try to inspect the storeroom after it was reported that a "large, stinky carpet'' had been moved there.  King suggested to Chan that he had gone to the storeroom to see if he could smell anything unusual because he already suspected there might be a body there.

Referring to photographs of the locked storeroom, King asked how it was that Chan could "see into'' the room.  Chan replied that he got down on his knees, with his ear to the ground and one eye closed to try and see through the five-millimeter gap at the bottom of the door.  "What I could see was it was dark,'' he said.

The trial continues today before Justice Michael Lunn.

(SCMP)  Kissel bedroom covered in blood, says forensics officer.  By Polly Hui.  July 5, 2005.

Blood was spattered across at least three sides of the spacious master bedroom in the flat in which Nancy Kissel allegedly bludgeoned her husband to death, a scientific evidence officer told the Court of First Instance yesterday.

Tam Chi-ching, the government laboratory expert who was called to examine the bedroom with police officers on November 7, 2003, said he identified tiny blood spots on a photo frame placed on the left side of the head of the bed, one side of a wardrobe, the outer wall of the en suite bathroom, a cabinet near the foot of the bed and a television set on top of the cabinet.

Asked by prosecutor Peter Chapman how many blood spots could be seen on the television set, Mr Tam said: "The whole screen." He also told the court a surface of the cabinet under the TV was also covered with blood spots. The witness said that even as he was in the corridor walking towards the master bedroom of the luxury Parkview flat in Tai Tam, he smelt a foul smell similar to that of a decomposing body.

The prosecution alleges that Kissel, 41, used a heavy metal ornament to bludgeon the head of her husband, senior Merrill Lynch banker Robert Peter Kissel, in the bedroom on or around November 2, 2003.  A domestic helper testified earlier that Nancy Kissel told her not to clean the bedroom in the days following the alleged killing.

The defendant has pleaded not guilty to a count of murder. Mr Tam also recalled finding a piece of green carpet at one end of the bed. When he lifted it, he discovered another carpet underneath with a stain that looked like blood. The result of a chemical test he conducted at the scene confirmed it was blood, he said.

A bloodstain was found on the bed when Mr Tam lifted a green bedcover and white quilt. Similar stains were found on a pillow, he said. He recommended that officers seize the quilt and pillow.

Mr Tam told jurors he found bloodstains and rubbing marks on the headboard of the bed. He also found some "dirty stains" on the tailboard and observed that a small part of the cloth covering it had been cut.  "According to the spread of bloodstains [in the master bedroom], I was of the view that someone had been attacked," he said.

He then told police to cordon off the room and asked a government chemist to attend the scene to conduct a blood pattern analysis.  When asked by defence counsel Alexander King SC how many areas had been tested that day, Mr Tam said only the carpet near the foot of the bed had been tested.

The court also heard from another prosecution witness yesterday that the day after the bedroom investigation, police went to the car park of the Parkview development to search a Porsche car used by the deceased. Constable Chan Ping-kong, of Western police station, said his team found four books of insurance policies in a storage area under the car's bonnet.  He said two of the policies were under the name of the defendant, while the other two were under the name of the deceased.

Evidence emerged earlier that the defendant was the beneficiary or primary beneficiary of three life insurance policies worth a total of US$5 million that her husband held with a New York-based insurance company, as well as two Merrill Lynch life insurance policies with a total value of US$1.75 million. The hearing continues before Mr Justice Michael Lunn today.

(The Standard)  Kissel trial to vet forensic evidence.  By Albert Wong.  July 11, 2005.

Day 20 of the Nancy Kissel murder trial begins today after an adjournment last week.

Police and forensic experts are expected to identify the huge volume of evidence and exhibits gathered by the prosecution.  Some 70 witnesses have already testified out of the 90 expected to give evidence for the prosecution.

Nancy Kissel, 41, is accused of serving her husband, former Merrill Lynch banker Robert Kissel, a pink milkshake laced with sedatives that left him unconscious at the foot of the bed, enabling her to beat him to death with a metal ornament.

Friends and family have testified Robert Kissel spoke of divorce that night, November 2, 2003, believing his wife was being unfaithful.  Nancy Kissel, who denies murder and is out on bail, claimed her husband was drunk and beat her when she refused him sex. He then disappeared.  His decomposing body was found in the early hours of November 7, wrapped in a carpet in storeroom 15112 at the Parkview residential complex, Tai Tam.

Police have collected bloodstained items from the Kissel residence.  Police scientific officer Tam Chi-chung, who conducted the first forensic search of the bedroom November 7, testified last Monday that he found small spots of blood on walls, the headboard of the bed, a picture frame, the top of a side table, the side of a wardrobe and on the television.  There was also a large brown stain on the bed beneath the covers.  

Tam also used a chemical test to confirm that the large stain on the carpet at the foot of the bed, first concealed by an overlaying carpet, was blood.  He said a piece of cloth from the foot of the bed had been ripped off.  Under cross-examination from defense counsel Alexander King, Tam said he only used the test once, on a carpet stain, to confirm stains around the room were blood.  King suggested to Tam Tuesday that the large stains he found on pillows were old sweat marks, since he did not conduct tests to confirm they were in fact blood.  Tam said he conducted only a preliminary examination and Dr Lun Tse-shan completed more thorough "blood patterning'' tests the following day. Dr Lun is expected to testify later.

The trial continues today before Justice Michael Lunn.