​​Man who killed 25-year-old and held woman captive in brutal scam murder jailed for life

A man who stabbed a 25-year-old man to death and held a woman captive with cable ties after falling out over a suspected scam has been jailed for life.

Jurick Croes, 38, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for murdering  Riches Obi, and nine years for the false imprisonment of a woman at the Old Bailey on Friday. The sentences are to be served concurrently.

Raichell Felomina, 40, of no fixed address, was sentenced at the same hearing to seven years and six months for false imprisonment. He will be liable for deportation on release, the Met said.

Suvenca Martis, 35, of Panmure Road, Lewisham, was sentenced to six years and six months for false imprisonment and five years for perverting the course of justice. She will also be liable for deportation on release.

All three were convicted following trial at the Old Bailey on May 28.

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb said: “We will never fully understand why Riches Obi was attacked and killed in his own home in such a brutal way, but it is thought that the three suspects were involved in some way in a money making scam with the woman they targeted.

“My thoughts today are with Riches’ family. They have waited many years to see justice done and it is my sincere wish that they may now find a way to move forward and cherish their memories of Riches without the spectre of this despicable crime hanging over them.”

An investigation was launched after cops were called to Mr Obi’s home address in Harper Road, Elephant and Castle on November 17, 2020.

Officers found the door of the property partially open and upon entering they found Mr Obi lying on the floor suffering from stab wounds. Despite the efforts of paramedics he was pronounced dead at the scene.

When an officer called out to see if anyone else was in the house, they heard a woman reply “I’m here”.

Cops found a woman in a bedroom, bound with cable ties. A scarf was tied around her neck which had been used as a gag but had fallen from her mouth.

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb, who led the investigation, said: “While it has never been comprehensively established why Mr Obi was attacked and killed in such a horrifying manner, it is thought that the three suspects were involved in some way in a money making scam with the woman they targeted.

“Whether Mr Obi tried to intervene is not known, but it is clear he was subjected to a sustained and violent assault.”

On searching the property, officers found a bag of cable ties, identical to the ones used to bind the woman.

The ties contained a price tag to a nearby hardware store. Police viewed CCTV at the store and identified Martis as the person who purchased them.

Further CCTV analysis showed her driving away from the shop in a rented vehicle which she had hired just days before the murder.

Martis was arrested later that month and officers took her phone for analysis which revealed  messages linking her to Felomina and Croes.

The messages included ferry times showing the two men arriving from Holland before the murder and then fleeing on the same ferry on the night of November 17.

Officers had also recovered two knives from the flat, both of which had been used to attack Mr Obi.

Forensics found DNA on both weapons which matched Felomina and Croes.

Other items found inside the address, including envelopes and cable ties revealed traces of DNA from both men.

Detectives traced Felomina to Holland where he was arrested and extradited back to the UK in November 2021.

Croes had fled to Colombia, but was arrested in February 2022. His extradition took 18 months.

Pictured top: Jurick Croes has been jailed for murdering Riches Obi and the false imprisonment of a woman (Picture: The Met)