The murderer tried to claim the victim accidentally shot himself during a ‘scrabble’
A robber who shot a man at point-blank range in a row over a missing stolen BMW motorbike has been jailed for at least 30 years. Joshua Eno shot Rico Andrews, 21, in the chest in Battersea on October 5, 2023, the Old Bailey was told.
On Thursday (October 9), Judge Philip Katz KC jailed Eno for life for the murder with a minimum term of 30 years. Previously, the Old Bailey heard how a shout of “that’s karma” was heard after Eno shot Mr Andrews and made off on the back of a moped driven by fellow robber Tyrone Attwood.
Emergency services were called and Mr Andrews was pronounced dead at the scene. Prosecutor Brian O’Neill KC had told jurors the killing was over a missing BMW motorbike that had been stolen by Eno and Attwood during the course of a robbery at the BMW Battersea dealership earlier that day.
He had said: “That motorbike had been stolen from where they had parked it following the robbery. Believing that Rico Andrews had stolen it from them, they sought him out and went to confront him. In the course of that confrontation, Joshua Eno produced a firearm and shot Rico Andrews in the chest at point-blank range.”
Eno, 25, was arrested outside a probation office days later and a large hunting knife was found in the waistband of his trousers, which he later admitted possessing. The defendant, from Tooting, denied murder, claiming the victim was accidentally shot with his own gun in the midst of a struggle.
Giving evidence, he said that losing a stolen motorbike was an “occupational hazard” of being a robber and the gun went off in Mr Andrews’s hand. He did not tell police the injuries were self-inflicted during a “scrabble” because he feared reprisals if he “snitched” on Mr Andrews, the defendant said.
The court was told Mr Andrews had a folding pocketknife in his jacket at the time of his death and was linked by DNA to another Rambo knife found nearby. Neither the gun nor the stolen BMW valued at £19,000 was recovered.
Following the conviction, Mr Andrews’s mum paid tribute to him saying: “My son Rico was truly an amazing human. He literally had the best sense of humour, quick wit and just made everything funnier. Rico was the most laid-back dude who never took anything seriously.
“People loved being around Rico. He was definitely someone you left feeling happier than before you met. Rico should still be here. His life should not have been taken at 21 over a stolen bike that was worth less than £1000 to his killer.
“Ricos murder has had a massive impact on not just my life, his siblings lives or the lives of his friends. The community was deeply affected as well. And the outpouring of love and support from strangers has helped restore some faith at a time when all was lost.”
Previously, Eno was convicted of the robbery at the Battersea BMW dealership. The court was told he had also admitted the theft of a Harley Davidson motorbike on the same day.
Eno had further previous convictions for having machetes, making threats to kill and was in breach of a suspended sentence for assaulting a female prison officer at the time of the shooting. Attwood, 34, from Battersea, was acquitted of Mr Andrews’s murder following a trial last year. He was convicted of the BMW robbery following a retrial and jailed for seven years.
Sign up to our London Crimewatch WhatsApp community for the latest major court updates and breaking news delivered straight to your phone. Sign up HERE.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the MyLondon team. We also treat our subscribers to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To unsubscribe, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’. If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
