Omaima Nelson, a former model and nanny from Egypt, was convicted of the grisly 1991 murder of her husband, 56-year-old Bill Nelson, in what remains one of California’s most disturbing domestic homicide cases.
The pair had met at a bar and married just three days after their first encounter. However, what began as a whirlwind romance quickly descended into violence and horror. According to Omaima, Bill became physically and sexually abusive soon after their wedding—a claim later supported by psychological reports indicating she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
On Thanksgiving Day in 1991, after allegedly being assaulted during a bondage session, Omaima claimed she broke free and retaliated. She attacked Bill with a lamp, scissors, and a clothes iron, ultimately stabbing and beating him to death.
What followed was even more horrifying: she castrated her husband’s body, boiled his hands to remove fingerprints, and cooked parts of his flesh, reportedly mixing them with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Omaima allegedly told authorities she tasted his flesh and claimed, “I’m glad I lived.”
She was seen days later driving her husband’s red Corvette, with black garbage bags in the passenger seat—bags that, police later confirmed, contained human body parts. Investigators who searched the couple’s home found a gruesome crime scene: body parts in the freezer and a suitcase, blood-soaked furniture, and signs of a prolonged cleanup effort. Neighbors had reported hearing the garbage disposal running continuously for nearly two days.
During her trial, Omaima stated, “If I didn’t defend my life, I would have been dead. I’m sorry it happened, but I’m glad I lived… I’m sorry I dismembered him.” She initially admitted to a psychiatrist that she had seasoned and tasted her husband’s ribs with barbecue sauce but later retracted the statement.
Despite her claims of self-defense and a history of abuse, the jury was unconvinced. A parole request was denied in 2011, with prosecutors arguing the murder was premeditated and extraordinarily brutal.
The case remains one of the most shocking examples of domestic violence and psychological breakdown in American criminal history.
