Omaima Nelson

Omaima Aref Nelson (; born 1968) is an Egyptian murderer. She was convicted of the 1991 murder of her partner, Bill Nelson, for which she was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1992. Her case made international headlines due to allegations of bondage sex, decapitation, castration and cannibalism.

Background

Early life Omaima Aref Nelson was born in Egypt, either in a farming village close to the Egypt–Sudan border or in Cairo, where she grew up, as one of 8 or 16 children.

Life in the U.S. In 1986, she immigrated to the United States following her marriage to an American citizen, Roger Stainbrook, whom she subsequently divorced. She lived primarily in Southern California, working as a student nanny and later also getting a job as a model at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.

She obtained a driver's license in 1989 and was noted for 12 traffic violations, including the theft of a car leased by a boyfriend, 38-year-old Jack Huston, in Chino. Omaima said that Nelson proposed to her two days later. Omaima had reportedly claimed that her family was wealthy and told Nelson that he would receive a dowry and land in Egypt.

According to John Fitzgibbon Sr., who was Bill Nelson's attorney and had met the couple during their honeymoon in Laredo on November 3, the pair claimed to have married in an Egyptian ceremony in either Las Vegas or Phoenix on November 1, but neither city had records of their marriage. Nelson was last heard from on the afternoon of November 28, 1991, when he called his stepdaughter to give her well wishes for Thanksgiving. She reportedly castrated him in revenge for his alleged sexual assaults. She told her psychiatrist, David Sheffner, that she had cooked her husband's ribs in barbeque sauce and eaten them, but has since consistently denied this. Sheffner later claimed that the 12-hour dismemberment was performed in a "trance-like state" and that her behavior was the result of a psychotic episode. She had reportedly changed into a red hat, red shoes, and put on red lipstick before beginning the dismemberment. Omaima stated during her trial that the dismemberment was meant to prevent Nelson's spirit from finding peace in accordance with ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs. Though Nelson stood 6 feet 4 inches and weighed approximately 230 pounds, police estimated they had found only 100 pounds of human remains. This number was eventually revised to 150 pounds by the coroner's office, but the remaining 80 pounds of body mass, including Nelson's genitals, were left unaccounted for.

A few hours later, in the early morning of December 2, Omaima went to the Monte Vista Avenue house of an acquaintance, 27-year-old Jose Esquivel, and told him that her husband had sexually assaulted her, showing him cuts on her chest, thighs, and feet, as well as ligature markings on her wrists as proof. She then asked him to help in the disposal of Nelson's body, including his entrails and dentures, which she had brought to his doorstep in a garbage bag and wanted to dump into the Back Bay in Newport Beach. In exchange she offered him several appliances and the false promise of $75,000 from a safe that really only contained $100. Esquivel told her he accepted and excused himself to get his truck, but instead called the police.

During questioning immediately after her arrest, Omaima initially denied telling Esquivel of Nelson's murder, instead claiming that the body parts in the car belonged to someone murdered by Nelson, also accusing him of raping her and other women, mentioning his previous criminal record. She was additionally tried and found guilty of the assault and robbery of Robert Hansson.

During the trial, her attorney Thomas Mooney claimed self-defense and said that she had undergone female genital mutilation as a child and that sex was traumatic and painful for her, only increased by the assaults she allegedly sustained during her marriage. Omaima also accused the deceased Nelson of domestic violence and sexual abuse during their three weeks of marriage, claiming she lived in constant fear because Bill threatened her with death or that he would falsely report her to immigration as an illegal alien. Kathy Nelson also took the stand and said that her ex-husband had not been violent during their marriage. and unsuccessfully appealed the verdict in 1995. She also attempted to petition for habeas corpus twice in 2002 and 2019, but was denied each time by circuit court. Her prison record noted her for a number of disciplinary infractions, including fighting, battering a staff member, possession of contraband, theft, arguing, failing to comply with instructions and "not being in compliance with grooming standards".

Omaima first became eligible for parole in 2006, but was denied when "commissioners found her unpredictable and a serious threat to public safety." She became eligible again in 2011, but was denied by the parole board again, citing that she had not taken responsibility for the murder, and would not be a productive citizen if she were freed. She will not be able to seek parole again until 2026.