Man stabbed to death as woman held captive with cable ties in brutal scam murder
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 found guilty of murder.
Jurick Croes, 38, of no fixed address, was found guilty of murdering Riches Obi and the false imprisonment of a woman, following the conclusion of a two month trial at the Old Bailey yesterday.
Rachell Felomina, 40, of no fixed address, was found guilty of false imprisonment and Suvenca Martis, 34, of Panmure Road, Sydenham, was found guilty of false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice.
All three will be sentenced at the same court on July 2.
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.
DCI Web said: “I hope this conviction demonstrates to those engaged in significant criminality, international borders are not a barrier and UK Law Enforcement will utilise the repertoire of international co-operation tools available to bring offenders to justice.
“Our thoughts remain with Riches family who have been made to endure a significant wait to see justice done.
“I only hope that these convictions can allow them to begin to move on in some way.”
Pictured top: Jurick Croes was found guilty of murdering Riches Obi and the false imprisonment of a woman (Picture: The Met)