London, UK – A graduate student, Kalabe Legesse, was tragically killed in Peckham Rye on December 30, 2022. The perpetrators, 20-year-old Nah’shun Thomas and a 17-year-old boy, have both been found guilty of his murder and are facing life sentences.
The two robbers cycled around Southwark looking for people to mug and had already carried out two phone robberies before targeting Legesse as he sat on a bench in Peckham Rye Park. According to reports, the victim was threatened and then stabbed once to the heart by the assailants, despite the desperate efforts of police officers and medics to save him.
After hundreds of hours of investigation through CCTV footage, the police were able to track down the killers’ escape routes back to their homes. A black-handled hunting knife with traces of Mr. Legesse’s blood was found at the 17-year-old’s address.
Both Thomas and the 17-year-old denied but were eventually convicted of murder by a jury. They had admitted to two counts of robbery in relation to the two phone muggings carried out earlier that evening. The two are currently remanded in custody ahead of their sentencing at Croydon Crown Court on April 19.
In a statement, Mr. Legesse’s family expressed their grief over the loss of their son and the impact it has had on their lives. They expressed gratitude to the investigation team for their hard work and commitment to bringing justice for their son’s untimely death.
Police described the incident as a “brutal and senseless attack” and emphasized that the defendants will face the consequences of their actions. Detective Inspector Adam Guttridge expressed sympathy for the Legesse family and hoped that they would find some comfort in knowing that justice has been served.