A drug dealer stabbed a man three times after they got into an argument in Finsbury Park. David Odunuga, 33, was convicted of murder after police linked him to a vehicle abandoned at the murder scene.
Odunuga stabbed Brian Edwards, 53, three times near Finsbury Park on September 19, 2023. Edwards was found injured outside his house in Tollington Park in the early hours. Emergency services were called at 4am, and Edwards died a short time later.
Detectives spoke with Edwards’ friends and some neighbours and linked an abandoned silver car at the scene to Odunuga by false details and addresses provided on insurance and registration documents. They also recovered a car key for the car that had Odunuga’s DNA on it.
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After analysis of the car’s movement and Odunuga’s mobile phone data, police further linked him to the crime. Eventually, Odunuga was arrested at his home in Brentwood in Essex on September 22, 2023, following a joint operation between officers from the Met and Essex Police.
During the trial, Odunuga denied committing the murder, alleging that a drug dealer took his vehicle from him as part of a drug debt, hours before the stabbing. Odunuga did admit to changing his name by deed poll, allowing him to obtain a driving licence and passport. He used these to evade prosecution for traffic offences and circumvent being disqualified from driving.
Detective Chief Inspector Lucy Carberry, who led the investigation, said: “This case is a stark reminder of the devastation drugs cause to communities across London. It should also act as a warning to those habitually carrying knives and engaging in serious violence that every effort will be made to identify and prosecute you, to ensure other families and communities do not have to feel the pain and loss that Brian’s family currently do.”
Odunuga was found guilty of murder and possession of an offensive weapon at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, 3 April. He will be sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on Thursday, April 4.
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