What happened to Kelly Fitzgibbons and her daughters?
IN 2020, the UK stood still after hearing about the murder of Kelly Fitzgibbons and her daughters.
The killer, Kelly’s partner Robert Needham, then turned the gun on himself. Here’s everything that happened.
Who was Kelly Fitzgibbons?
Kelly Fitzgibbons was a mother to two girls Ava, four, and two-year-old Lexi.
Kelly worked as a part-time legal secretary and she shared her children with fiancee Robert Needham.
The couple had been together for over 10 years, living rent free in the home of Rob’s mum, who lived in a self-contained granny flat downstairs.
Rob had been building an extension on the house but the family had run into financial reports and had combined debts of £30,000.
Text messages between the couple revealed tensions in the relationship.
One text, dated January 13, 2020, Kelly said: “Can we be civil in front of the girls, please? I dread coming home.”
“‘I’ll stay at my mum’s if you want.”
In another dated February 5, 2020, she text Rob: “‘I think we should have a break and see how we both feel”.
Robert replied: “If that’s what you really want”.
This was followed up with texts the day after with Kelly writing: “Let’s not argue in front of the girls. Please don’t bang the door and shout.
“‘From now on, whatever happens, I don’t want to argue any more”.
In a text dated March 2, she wrote: “I’m getting out of your way. I can see you are angry”.
What happened to Kelly and her daughters Ava and Lexi?
On March 29, 2020, the bodies of Kelly, Ava, Lexi and their dog were found at their homein Woodmancote, West Sussex.
Ava and Lexi were found lying side by side in the bed under the duvet, while Kelly was lying on the floor next to it.
Robert was found on the landing.
It was the week the UK was plunged into its first lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic.
At an inquest into their deaths, Coroner Bridget Dolan QC recorded a verdict of unlawful killing on the girls and Kelly and one of suicide on Needham.
She added it may never be known why the dad of two had slaughtered his family before killing himself.
Robert used a licensed and legally-owned shot gun, bought just nine days prior to the murders.
Kelly’s identical twin sister, Emma Ambler, is now campaigning for tighter gun laws.
It was revealed Robert lied on his shotgun application.
He didn’t disclose that he had a caution for theft and that he’d been treated for depression.
Emma told The Sun in January 2023: “If they hadn’t given him that gun licence – and they shouldn’t have because he did lie on every box on that form – he wouldn’t have been capable of carrying out this act because I didn’t know how else you can kill a whole family within minutes, unless you’ve got access to such a deadly weapon.”
Emma bravely shared her horrendous ordeal on ITVX’s true crime series, A Murder In The Family, which takes an in-depth look at the murder-suicide.
Where is Robert Needham now?
Needham turned the gun on himself and took his own life.
His body was found in the hallway.
There was no traces of the drug found in his system and his alcohol level was below the drink-drive limit.
Speaking about participating in the documentary Emma revealed: “One of the reasons I wanted to do this is because after it happened there were lots of negative comments saying ‘why did she let him have a gun in the house?’
“But Kelly never thought they were ever in any danger.
“She never knew he was capable of doing something like this.
“So I also wanted people to know that she was a great mum to those two girls.”
Emma has set up The Kelly Fitzgibbons Foundation which aims to support other families of those lost in similar circumstances.