A Burnham-On-Sea man has today (Tuesday) been jailed for life with a minimum of 17 years for stabbing Lisa-Marie Thornton to death.
Owen Pellow, 43, of Berrow Road in Burnham-On-Sea, was convicted of murder following a trial at Bristol Crown Court.
Lisa-Marie Thornton was found dead at her house on the morning of 23 November 2017.
A post-mortem examination revealed the 36-year-old had died after being stabbed more than 30 times.
Pellow had consistently claimed the mother-of-three’s injuries were self-inflicted, but a jury determined he had murdered her.
In their victim impact statements, Lisa-Marie’s three daughters spoke of being robbed of a future with their mother.
One said: “I won’t have my mum to help prepare me for prom, she won’t be able to see me at my wedding and her grandchildren won’t ever know who she was.”
They said they were “heartbroken” and expressed the “unbearable pain” of losing their mother.
“I can’t understand how someone could be so callous to take such innocent life wrongly away from them and their family,” the daughter added.
Another said: “My future will never be the same without my mum in it. And I will forever be hurt by the loss of my mum. I’m missing a part of me that will never return.”
In her statement, Lisa-Marie’s mother said: “No words can describe the loss of my beautiful daughter Lisa-Marie.”
“I’m crying most days and just can’t believe she’s gone – my heart is broken.”
Senior Investigating Officer Andy Mott said: “This was a shocking crime that Pellow has refused to take responsibility for, even throughout the trial.”
“The jury heard how he brutally attacked Lisa-Marie Thornton, stabbing her more than 30 times in a frenzied assault.”
“Our sympathies are with Lisa-Marie’s family as they continue to come to terms with their loss and I hope this conviction can provide some semblance of closure for them.”
“I’d also like to recognise the efforts of the officers who were first on the scene of this distressing incident and carried out first aid on Lisa-Marie in very difficult and demanding circumstances.”
