‘Memories is all we have left’: 14-year old Jermaine Cools’ teenage killer given life sentence

The family of 14-year-old Jermaine Cools who was stabbed to death have said they are “filled with suffering” as his killer is given a life sentence.

The sentencing comes nearly 18 months after Marques Walker, 17, of Jennifer Road, Bromley, stabbed Jermaine to death outside of a chicken shop in London Road, Croydon.

Today at the Old Bailey, Walker, who was aged 16 at the time of the offence, was jailed for life imprisonment, with a minimum of 19 years. He had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.

Jermaine’s family said after the sentencing: “Jermaine could talk to anybody. He was our best friend and the one who always made our day even when we were down. He would come down and talk to us. When he was taken away it took the life from us all.

“Our family home used to be filled with love, laughter and happiness. It is now just a sad and empty house filled with suffering.

“Jermaine’s bedroom remains untouched and ready for him to come home just as he was supposed to.

“Jermaine’s bedroom is now a place where we go and sit to be surrounded by his possessions and smell his scent and think about our happy memories of him. Memories is all we have left.”

CCTV footage of Walker attacking Jermaine and the Met’s attempts to trace him (Picture: The Met)

The court heard how on November 18, 2021, a member of the public reported a large fight outside a chicken shop in London Road, Croydon, which Jermaine was involved in.

While the fight was going on, Walker was caught on CCTV calmly walking towards the fight and drawing out a large knife. Jermaine was now on the floor and Walker ran towards him.

Walker was seen to repeatedly lunge at Jermaine with the knife, while Jermaine rolled on the ground frantically trying to avoid being stabbed.

But Jermaine received multiple stab wounds and the defendant ran off from the scene and was captured on CCTV running through the streets of Croydon still carrying the knife.

A member of the public approached Jermaine, who was bleeding heavily, and helped him into a car and drove him to Croydon Hospital.

Despite the best efforts of medical staff, Jermaine died there shortly after.

A post mortem found Jermaine had suffered seven stab wounds to his body – the fatal wound was one to his chest which had pierced a lung.

Walker was identified by police using CCTV footage but he had left his home and managed to evade the them for six weeks.

He was finally arrested when officers attended an address looking for another person and discovered Walker. He was found hiding behind a bed and gave a false name.

Walker was then found to have been a “habitual knife carrier”, including bringing a 10 inch knife to school.

In October 2021 he was arrested on a bus in Croydon. On searching him he was found in possession of a very large “zombie style knife”.

He was charged with possession of an offensive weapon and bailed by the Magistrates’ Court – six weeks later he murdered Jermaine.

Met Superintendent Richard Vandenbergh said: “Jermaine was only 14-years-old when he was stabbed to death, he was a child and we cannot ignore the fact that children are dying on the streets of London as a result of knife crime.

“Jermaine’s family have been left devastated, a child with his whole life ahead of him has had it brutally snatched away.

“Jermaine’s family have spoken out about knife crime and I hope that their courage in speaking out may stop another family losing a child to this evil crime.

Pictured top: Jermaine Cools 14, murdered by Marques Walker (Picture: The Met)