Michael Thompson, a 56-year-old former amateur boxer, has been convicted of murdering his estranged wife, Kimberley Thompson, and attempting to conceal the crime by staging a suicide scene. A jury found him guilty of murder, rape, and two counts of perverting the course of justice after deliberating for over 11 hours.
Prosecutors alleged that Thompson attacked his wife, a 43-year-old civil servant and award-winning basketball coach, on the night of August 9, 2025. He reportedly had been watching explicit videos and was angered by her new relationship and her demand for a larger divorce settlement. Thompson is accused of creating a scene involving pills and alcohol in an attempt to mislead police into believing Kimberley had died by overdose after consensual sex.
Police were initially led to believe it was a potential drug-related death or suicide. Thompson, who was sleeping in a separate bedroom at the marital home in Northampton, called emergency services claiming he could not wake his wife. Evidence, including a glass with a yellow liquid, was not immediately secured, and Thompson was allowed to clean the crime scene. However, toxicology reports later revealed Kimberley Thompson had not been drinking and had only low levels of painkillers. A pathologist determined her death was due to smothering, an external airway obstruction.
During the six-week trial, the court heard Thompson had been tracking and monitoring his wife. He sent text messages from her phone, purportedly suggesting she had been drinking, but these messages contained typos he commonly made. He also moved bottles of alcohol and empty pill packets to the room where her body was found. A picture of the couple on their wedding day and a montage of Kimberley's late sister, who died by suicide, were also present on the bed.
Friends of Kimberley Thompson had reported years of alleged physical, emotional abuse, and controlling behavior from Michael Thompson. She had reportedly sought help from a domestic violence unit in the past. A friend testified that Kimberley had confided in her about physical assaults and a rape by Thompson after she had an affair, telling her, “If anything happens to me. Please know it was him.”
Following the convictions, authorities re-examined the circumstances surrounding the death of the mother of Thompson's elder two children, Rhonda Anderson, who died in 2000. Anderson was found electrocuted in her bath with an electric radio beside her. A coroner had ruled the death accidental at the time, but Northamptonshire Police launched a fresh murder probe in December after receiving new information. However, the investigation has since been closed due to insufficient evidence.
Thompson, who showed little emotion during the verdicts, is scheduled to be sentenced next Thursday. He and Kimberley, who had a daughter aged 18 and a son aged 16, were living in separate bedrooms in the marital home as their divorce was being finalized at the time of her death. Kimberley Thompson was also a former coach for Northants Basketball Club and had been involved in the Basketball England talent pathway program.