Michael Thompson, a 56-year-old former doorman, has been sentenced to a minimum of 33 years for the rape and murder of his estranged wife, Kim Thompson. He meticulously staged her death to appear as a suicide by overdose, placing empty painkillers and a wedding photograph on her bed. Police were initially misled by his charade, which allowed Thompson to tamper with the crime scene. It was only after friends of Kim Thompson raised concerns about his abusive behavior that police reinvestigated and arrested him.
Friends of Kim Thompson also alerted authorities to a disturbing pattern, recalling Kim's own fears that Thompson had killed a previous partner. Twenty-five years earlier, in July 2000, Thompson's long-term partner, Rhonda Anderson, 29, was found electrocuted in her bath with an electric radio submerged in the water. At the time, police ruled her death an accident, and a coroner concluded it was a tragic mishap. However, following Kim's death in August of the previous year, Northamptonshire Police reopened the investigation into Anderson's death and arrested Thompson on suspicion of murder.
Despite the reopening of the case, the inquiry into Rhonda Anderson's death was closed last month due to insufficient evidence. It is understood that Anderson's relatives maintained her death was an accident. Questions persist, however, regarding whether Thompson, known for his infidelity, believed he could deceive authorities by staging his wife's murder as a suicide, a tactic he may have successfully employed before.
Evidence suggests that Rhonda Anderson had left Thompson after discovering his affairs with multiple teenage girls and had begun a new relationship. One of these former partners, now 48, told the Daily Mail that many in Northampton suspected Anderson's death was not accidental, and that police were aware of these concerns, alongside numerous reports of domestic abuse. She recounted Thompson admitting to violence, including giving Anderson a black eye, and described his controlling behavior and serial infidelity.
Thompson fathered children with at least three women, including Kim and Rhonda. Kim's daughter, Athena, described her father as a "jealous, conniving, narcissistic villain" in a victim impact statement. She recounted witnessing his abuse of her mother and the emotional toll it took on her and her younger brother. Thompson's son also submitted a statement expressing hope that his father would have a long time to reflect on his actions.
Investigators discovered approximately 550 hours of audio recordings on Thompson's mobile phone, suggesting he had been monitoring his wife's communications and movements for years. He had also previously raped Kim as punishment for an affair. On the night of her death, after the assault and suffocation, Thompson attempted to create an alibi by using Kim's phone to send himself a Facebook friend request and changing her status to 'married,' along with a misspelled post about drinking.