Main points
- In London, 37-year-old Marcus Monzo was convicted of assaulting and killing a 14-year-old boy with a samurai sword in April 2024.
- Monzo was given a minimum 40-year sentence after the court found he was psychotic after using cannabis at the time of the attack.
- Video footage was presented at the trial showing Monzo attacking passers-by, but he denied his guilt, claiming that he did not remember his actions due to his mental state.
Man on trial for attacking people in London last year / Collage by Channel 24
A London court has found a man guilty of attacking people and killing a 14-year-old boy with a samurai sword. The incident took place back in April 2024, the accused committed riotous behavior right on the street, injured 5 people, including police officers, and took the life of a child.
Channel 24 reports this with reference to The Guardian.
London child killer given brutal sentence
The investigation established that the attacker who injured people in the east part of London near the Hainault tube station with a samurai sword was 37-year-old Marcus Monzo. The man of Spanish-Brazilian origin worked in the city as a courier. Before attacking people, he allegedly drove his own van into one of the houses and got out of the car with a samurai sword. The criminal stabbed, in particular, a teenager Daniel Anjorin, who was taken to hospital. But it was not possible to save the child's life. The man was detained the same day with a shock from a stun gun.
A London court has held a hearing on assault and murder. Marcus Monzo was sentenced to at least 40 years in prison for his crime. After that, he may be eligible for release.
Judge Bennathan described the morning, which was calm until Marcus appeared on the street. First, the man crashed into pedestrian Donato Ivule. The victim tried to run away, but before he could, the attacker stabbed him.
After that, he approached 14-year-old Daniel from behind as he walked to school. The killer used a sword and fatally stabbed the child in the neck. The boy's parents said at the court hearing that no conviction for the killer would bring their child back to them.
We will not see him get married or have children. All the normal things that parents hope for their children. All those hopes and aspirations were cruelly taken away from us by the evil actions of Marcus Monzo. It was the worst nightmare of our lives. To go through the pain of losing a child in such a cruel and savage way. No family should have to go through that, said the victim's father, Ebenezer Anjorin.
The boy Monzo killed / Police photo
Police officer Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield was at the scene and tried to stop the killer. However, the attacker also left her with serious injuries.
Marcus also injured the married couple Henry Polania and Cindy Arias. The killer broke into their home, where they were sleeping with their small child, and wounded the man.
Police Inspector Moloy Campbell was able to detain the attacker in the parking lot. He drove the attacker into the parking lot and detained him, but the man fought off the police officer, resulting in him receiving a cut on his hand.
As it turned out after the arrest, Marcus Monzo suffered psychosis after using cannabis. The man was a supporter of violence, far-right extremism and conspiracy theories. Inspired by videos on social media, he decided that he had an alternative image of a “professional killer”. Prosecutors also said that the man tried to “kill a lot of people” and before that, he brutally stabbed his cat.
Footage showing Marcus Monzo attacking people shown in court / Screenshots from video
During the trial, they showed video from surveillance cameras, where people's screams could be heard and the killer could be seen crashing into the crowd in a car and stabbing people with a sword.
The man claimed that he did not remember committing the attacks and denied killing Daniel or attempting to kill people. But given these facts, the court passed a sentence. Monzo was also found guilty of aggravated burglary and possession of an object with a blade or point. Although during interrogation, he tearfully insisted that he allegedly did not want to kill anyone, and that he bought the swords for decoration. But at some point, Marcus Monzo allegedly felt that the end of the world was approaching, which is why he became scared and began to attack passers-by with a sword.
The criminal said his unusual views emerged after a “spiritual journey” to India, where he tried the hallucinogenic ayahuasca and began smoking marijuana regularly.
