Rita Lambourne, 58, was found “fatally wounded” by her sister at an address in Bayencourt South, Bexhill, East Sussex, on February 12 this year.
Ms Lambourne’s cousin, Donald Excell, 49, of Seabourne Road, Bexhill, has been accused of her murder.
Rita Lambourne (Image: Sussex Police)
At Hove Crown Court in East Sussex today (December 16), jurors heard that Excell will not be called by his lawyer as part of the defence case.
The prosecution allege that Excell came in through an unlocked back door before striking Ms Lambourne at least four times with an axe.
Ms Lambourne and Excell fell out more than a year before the attack after Excell decided members of the family were facilitating a paedophile ring, the court heard.
For the majority of the murder investigation, police were unable to find the axe, or the clothes the killer is seen wearing on CCTV.
In September, some teenagers fishing just north of Bexhill found a rucksack in the water with clothes and the sheath of an axe weighed down with a sandbag, the court heard.
Police on the scene in February (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)
The axe itself was found later after a police search of the area.
On Tuesday morning, forensic scientist Suzanne Winter said there was “no indication” that Excell’s was one of the DNA samples found on the axe.
However, she also told jurors that Excell’s DNA was found on Ms Lambourne’s fingernails after the attack along with samples from two unidentified individuals.
The trial continues.
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