In July 1992, young mother Rachel Nickell was attacked in broad daylight on London’s Wimbledon Common and brutally stabbed to death as her young son looked on.
The burning question of who could be responsible for such a heinous crime lingered for more than 16 years—until the evidence undeniably pointed to suspected serial rapist Robert Napper.
A new Netflix documentary, The Murder of Rachel Nickell, reexamines the shocking case and the winding path to convicting Napper. Although police originally identified and arrested a different primary suspect, DNA ultimately linked Napper—previously placed into indefinite psychiatric treatment for two other killings—as the perpetrator. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
News reports have offered a glimpse into Napper’s daily routine more than three decades after Nickell’s death. Here’s what we know about his conditions in custody, as well as his background and other alleged crimes.
Who Is Robert Napper?
Born in February 1966, Napper was raised in the Plumstead area of London.
Napper and his three siblings regularly witnessed domestic violence involving their parents, Brian and Pauline, according to The Guardian. Eventually, they divorced and the children were placed in foster care and underwent psychiatric treatment. Napper was eventually diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder.
Napper experienced additional trauma at age 12 when a family friend assaulted him on a camping trip. He became reclusive and began to show behavioral troubles, including a 1986 fine for possessing an airgun.
However, that misdeed paled in comparison to his future confirmed and alleged crimes. Authorities believe Napper, disowned by his mother, was responsible for a series of sexual assaults along London’s Green Chain Walk, drawing the moniker the “Green Chain Rapist.” He is suspected of as many as 106 sex crimes including rape, indecent assault, and other offenses. Napper has refused to admit to any charges and there’s no publicized forensic evidence linking him to the crimes.
Tragically, Napper’s crimes turned deadly. In October 1995, he admitted guilt in the killings of 27-year-old Samantha Bissett, reportedly stabbing her more than 70 times, and her 4-year-old daughter, Jazmine, two years prior. But no one knew yet he was also responsible for the 1992 killing of Rachel Nickell.
How Did Robert Napper Kill Rachel Nickell?
On July 15, 1992, Nickell, 23, was walking on Wimbledon Common with her then-2-year-old son, Alex Hanscombe, when she was viciously attacked.
Napper, who carried a rape kit and knives, took Nickell into an overgrown part of the common and stabbed her 49 times, nearly decapitating her, per The Guardian. Young Alex was the only witness to the crime.
“It’s not like it happens in the movies,” he recalled. “It was so quick, and everything was silent. There was this strange polarity—even though it was hectic and violent and there was blood, at the same time, there was this big feeling of peace and tranquillity.”
Police initially identified and arrested another man, Colin Stagg, as the suspected perpetrator, and even attempted to trick him into a confession. Napper—already incarcerated in connection with the Bissett murders—was interviewed about Nickell in 1995, but denied ever going to Wimbledon Common.
How Did Police Catch Robert Napper?
It wasn’t until 2004 that new forensic technology identified Napper as a possible suspect, and in 2007 he was clearly implicated through DNA testing, according to Reuters.
Napper pleaded not guilty to murdering Nickell in January 2008, but that December he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
“You are on any view a very dangerous man,” Mr. Justice Griffiths Williams told Napper, who was assigned indefinitely to a psychiatric hospital.
Where Is Robert Napper Now?
Napper was remanded in Broadmoor Hospital, a high-security psychiatric facility in Crowthorne, England, after his conviction and has remained there ever since, according to Crime+Investigation UK.
Napper has only been convicted of three killings—the Bissett murders and manslaughter in Nickell’s death. In December 2008, The Times reported detectives were preparing to interview Napper about his possible involvement in three additional killings: those of Claire Tiltman, 16, Penny Bell, 43, and Jean Bradley, 47, from 1991 through 1993.
Napper’s life inside Broadmoor became the subject of a separate criminal investigation involving a hospital worker violating his duty of patient confidentiality. In 2013, Robert Neave, a healthcare nursing assistant, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office after selling stories to the Sun newspaper about Napper as well as Peter Sutcliffe, the infamous “Yorkshire Ripper.”
Also in 2013, The Mirror reported Napper faced death threats from other Broadmoor patients after he was charged over Nickell’s death. Despite the dangers, Napper was a model inmate, according to one former hospital worker. He is reportedly good at board games and likes to play Scrabble, and he regularly plays sports and exercises at the facility gym.
Previous suspect Stagg told The Mirror in 2021 he was in favor of the death penalty and believed Napper should be executed. “I don’t think he should be costing taxpayers so much,” Stagg added.
As of now, Napper is still alive and remains one of the U.K.’s most infamous figures.
Watch The Murder of Rachel Nickell on Netflix Starting June 4
It isn’t clear how much the new Netflix documentary, as well as its companion drama series The Witness releasing the same day, will explore Napper’s suspected other crimes and life today.
We’ll find out on Thursday, June 4, when The Murder of Rachel Nickell becomes available on the streamer.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
