On the night of 11 October 1978, Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen hosted a party in their hotel room, but reportedly passed out early. The next morning, Spungen was found dead on the bathroom floor, with a knife wound to her abdomen.

The murder weapon was identified as a Jaguar K-11 hunting knife, which Spungen had purchased for Vicious a few days earlier.

Vicious told police that he and Spungen had argued that night but gave conflicting versions of what happened next, saying, “I stabbed her, but I never meant to kill her,” then claiming that he did not remember anything, and then that Spungen had fallen onto the knife.

He was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, but was released on bail. Four months later, he died of a heroin overdose.

Vicious’ bandmate Johnny Rotten, whose real name is John Lydon, recently revealed had the case had gone to trial, Vicious would have had the support of famed Rolling Stones legend Mick Jagger.

Speaking with host Michael Anthony on his self-titled podcast, Rotten revealed: “I know that at the time, indirectly, Mick Jagger put up a lawyer to help Sid’s case.”

However, Rotten clarified the case was “too far gone.”