Four jailed after ambushing man with knives and Samurai sword in drugs killing
Four men have been jailed for a total of 67 years after the fatal stabbing of a young man in Croydon in 2021.
Julian Russell, 26, of Sanfield Road, Croydon, and Tyreece Wolfries- Parkins, 22, were sentenced to life in prison, to serve a minimum of 24 years and 20 years respectively, at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.
Alex Pasley, 29, of Paxton Grove, Coulsdon, was sentenced to 17 years in prison and Tyreece Riggon, 24, of Armistice Gardens, Noorwood, was sentenced to six years.
On February 5, 2021, 22-year-old Lavaun Witter was stabbed in the leg with a Samurai sword after four men broke into a flat in Wisbeach Road shortly after 8pm.
The four men, who were armed with long knives and swords, demanded drugs to be handed over and slashed through an internal door to get to Lavaun, who had barricaded himself in with two men and a 16-year-old boy.
Lavaun and the 16-year-old, who also suffered a stab injury, managed to run away from the scene, but Lavaun collapsed a short distance away. Despite the efforts of emergency services, he died a short time later.
Detective Chief Inspector Mike Nolan, Senior Investigating Officer in the case said: “These men were prepared to use extreme levels of violence and take Lavaun’s life to gain possession of drugs they believed were inside the property.
“Lavaun was defenceless against the four men who were each armed with large knives, including a Samurai sword.
“Levaun’s death devastated his family and his community. I commend the bravery and strength they have shown throughout this lengthy investigation.”
A mixture of witness statements and CCTV had identified Riggon, Russell, Wolfries-Parkin and Pasley as the men involved in the fatal attack.
On February 18, 2021, police raided an address linked to Riggon and he and Russell were arrested. A subsequent search of an address linked to Russell recovered a Louis Vuitton bag belonging to Lavaun.
Wolfries-Parkin and Pasley were also arrested in the following weeks.
Police built up the case against all four defendants via witness statements and analysis of the activity of phone numbers linked to them before and after the fatal attack.
A trial at the Old Bailey began on July 17, 2023 and Russell and Wolfries- Parkins were found guilty of murder.
Pasley was found guilty of manslaughter.
A re-trial began on November 4, 2024, and Riggon was found guilty of attempted GBH. Pasley was also found guilty of attempted GBH in relation to the attack on the 16-year-old boy.
Pictured top: Lavaun Witter was stabbed in the leg with a Samurai sword in February 2021 (Picture: The Met)