A pair of drug dealing killers who returned to a murder scene after stabbing an unarmed ‘turf war’ rival to death while he was in his car have been jailed for more 30 years in total. Abdul Jalloh, 23, was stabbed in the neck as he sat in his car on New Union Close, Isle of Dogs, on August 5, 2024.
Shamiah McKenzie, 18, of Colvin Close, Lewisham, was given a life sentence for murder, and will serve a minimum of 22 years behind bars, at the Old Bailey on Friday, June 20. Codee Godfrey, 19, of Grosvenor Wharf Road, Tower Hamlets, was sentenced to nine years inside for manslaughter at the same hearing.
Emergency services raced to the scene at about 4.15pm on the day of the murder, but Abdul died a short while later. The Central Criminal Court heard that both McKenzie and Godfrey circled the area for an hour on bikes hunting their target.
After the attack they tried to hide evidence in the Thames and threw the murder weapon – a knife – its sheath and McKenzie’s bike into Caledonian Wharf. They also stuffed their bloodied clothes and shoes into bags before changing into summer wear and hiding their old clothes and two phones in bushes.
Cops unearthed the bags which contained £3,000 worth of cannabis, £2,000 in cash, a vacuum sealing machine used to package drugs, and business cards with their phone numbers on. The brazen killers were so confident that they returned to the Thames Path which was full of officers searching for Abdul’s killers.
But they handed themselves into police on Thursday, August 8 2024 and were charged the following day. At an earlier hearing Judge Sarah Whitehouse KC said the background to the case appeared to involve a “turf war” and the supply of drugs.
‘London will be a safer place with them taken off the streets’
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Waller said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Abdul Jalloh, who lost a loved one in shocking circumstances.
“By carrying and using a knife, their callous act demonstrates once again the devastating and far-reaching effects of knife crime. I therefore commend the officers who worked incredibly hard to build evidence against McKenzie and Godfrey in order to prove that there could be no doubt as to their guilt. London will be a safer place with them taken off the streets.
“I also want to thank the local community who came forward to assist officers with footage they had on the day. They displayed immense courage in giving evidence to the court.”
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