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Omaima Nelson Murders William” Bill” Nelson

Omaima came to the US in 1986 when she was 18. To support herself, she modeled and worked as a nanny.

In October 1991, the 23-year-old met 56-year-old William” Bill” Nelson at a bar. They were married within days of meeting each other, but the marriage didn’t last long.

On November 28th, 1991, Omaima stabbed Bill with a pair of scissors and beat him with an iron.

Once he was dead, she cut his body up. She put some of him down the garbage disposal. At the same time, she cooked other parts of him.

After 12 hours, she wrapped his body parts in newspapers and then put them in trash bags. She threw the bags in her vehicle outside the home. She contacted a friend to help her get rid of the body.

Instead of helping her, the friend contacted the police. They arrived at the residence on December 1st, 1991, to find the gruesome scene.

They arrested her the next day.

She would claim that Bill was violating her in their Costa Mesa apartment that day, and she took his life so that it would never happen again.

The case gained notoriety due to reports that Omima ate his ribs with barbecue sauce. A psychiatrist who spoke with her after the murder said she told him,”‘I did his ribs just like in a restaurant.”

Trial

During the trial, the prosecution said she was lying about being abused. At one point, the deputy district attorney joked about her being a cannibal, saying, “We’re missing about 130 pounds of Bill. You know where he might have gone?”

In her efforts to beat the case, it was revealed she had experienced female genital mutilation during her childhood. She claimed the assaults she allegedly endured at the hands of William were extremely painful and traumatic.

Her attorney claimed when she cut him up and mutilated his body, she was in a psychotic state and not acting rationally.

When the case went to the jury, some believed William abused her, while others thought she was lying.

On January 12th, 1993, after deliberating for six days, they acquitted her of first-degree murder and convicted her of second-degree murder.

The jury also convicted her of assault for a 1990 incident in which she tied up a boyfriend and demanded money at gunpoint. They acquitted her of false imprisonment and attempted robbery charges related to that case.

A judge later sentenced her to 27 years to life in prison.

Parole

She has been eligible for parole multiple times since 2006, but each time she has been denied.

Her last denial was in March 2023.

The board has stated that she has not taken responsibility for her crimes and wouldn’t be a productive contributor to society.

Her next parole hearing will be in March 2028, when she is about 60.