Two men convicted of ‘savage’ murder of drill rapper stabbed nine times in Deptford

Two men have been convicted of the ‘savage’ murder of the Kennington drill rapper Bis who was stabbed nine times in an alleyway in Deptford.

20-year-old Crosslon Davis, known as Bis, from the group Harlem Spartans, was chased by a gang at 3.30am in December 2019, before being beaten and stabbed to death on the corner of Creekside and Creative Road.

Elijah Morgan, 20, of no fixed address and Jedaiah Param, 21, of Norwood High Street, West Norwood, were found guilty today following a trial at the Old Bailey.

Detective Chief Inspector Richard Vandenbergh, the lead investigator of the case, called the attack “savage and merciless”.

He said: “Crosslon was clearly running way from his attackers, who set upon him armed with large knives.

“The number of stab wounds sustained by Crosslon demonstrates the murderous intent of the four people who hunted him down.”

At the time of his death, England footballer Jadon Sancho paid tribute to Crosslon on social media.

Rest up bis 🙏🏼🕊 pic.twitter.com/NMe21cvjth

— Jadon Sancho (@Sanchooo10) December 6, 2019

Analysis of mobile phone records showed that Crosslon arrived at Deptford Creek with a friend in the early hours of December 6, 2019 – with both Morgan and Param arriving slightly earlier.

The pair were identified by homicide detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command through CCTV from a minicab that was called to pick them up at the scene.

The violent attack started after Morgan and Param got into the minicab and Crosslon attacked Morgan with a mallet.

The minicab drove away from the scene a short distance before the driver was told to stop and Morgan and Param got out and started chasing Crosslon.

CCTV footage showed that Crosslon was pursued by the pair, as well as two other unidentified males, who were all armed with knives or machetes.

All four of them stabbed Crosslon, who collapsed to the ground.

Crosslon’s friend had tried to place himself between him and the attackers but he was overpowered.

A number of local residents provided statements describing how they had seen the group running after Crosslon.

Police and paramedics were called to the scene but Crosslon died a short time later due to the loss of blood from at least nine stab wounds, including one that penetrated his lung and heart.

Crosslon’s friend called 999 and stayed with him until the emergency services arrived – but gave a false name to officers and declined to give a witness statement.

Morgan was identified after a police officer recognised him from the minicab CCTV footage and he was arrested at an address in Birmingham on January 2.

Param, who was also identified via the minicab CCTV, was arrested at Dover Eastern Docks after he was found hiding underneath a coat in the back of a car as it went through passport control.

The two men will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, March 26.

DI Vandenbergh added: “The lack of cooperation from a key witness in this case has made it more challenging for my team to investigate.

“However, I am proud of the meticulous and thorough analysis of CCTV and mobile phone records that has resulted in the guilty verdict for these two defendants.

“We know there are still two other people who took part in this attack who have not yet been identified.

“I urge anyone who knows who they are to contact police immediately.”

If you have any information about the identity of these two men, or know of their whereabouts, please call police on 101. You can also give information, 100 per cent anonymously, to Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or by visiting www.crimestoppers-uk.org

If you are worried about someone you suspect may be carrying a knife or other weapon, advice and support is also available through organisations including Knife Free and Fearless.