Five gang members have been convicted of murdering a 15-year-old boy and a 23-year-old man in a mistaken identity attack at a north London music video shoot, after a jury deliberated for more than 53 hours.
Leonardo Reid, 15, and Klevi Shekaj, 23, were fatally stabbed when masked attackers descended on the Elthorne Estate in Archway on 29 June 2023, whilst a third victim, Abdullah Abdullahi, 28, survived serious injuries.
The killers had gone to the estate “with the intention of killing anyone they could”, believing their victims were rival gang members, the Metropolitan Police said.
Guilty Verdicts After Marathon Deliberations
Lorik Lupqi, 21; Jason Furtado, 28; Abel Chunda, 29; Xavier Poponne, 22; and Eden Clark, 31, were found guilty of double murder and attempted murder following a trial at the Old Bailey that began on 17 March.
Members of the victims’ families wept in court as Judge Anuja Dhir KC thanked jurors for their “care, attention and diligence” after 53 hours and five minutes of deliberations.
Detective Inspector Jim Barry said: “These violent men went into this estate with the intention of killing anyone they could, under the false impression that those there were rival gang members.”
Attack Planned Within Minutes
The court heard how Lupqi, a gang member from Islington, spotted a gathering for a music video featuring artist Tight Road Baby at around 8.30pm and saw it as an opportunity to attack those he mistakenly believed were “opps” – opposition gang members.
Despite his girlfriend advising him to stay inside after he messaged her that “opps were outside”, Lupqi contacted fellow gang member Furtado to orchestrate the deadly assault.
“I’m in a little bit of a rush,” Lupqi told a taxi firm as he booked a cab to collect Chunda, Clark and Poponne from near Furtado’s Canonbury home, prosecutor Jacob Hallam KC told the jury.
Victims Watching Music Video
Leonardo and his brother had been watching the music video being filmed with friends when the atmosphere turned to terror. Police had attended earlier at 10.20pm due to noise complaints, but the crowd had largely dispersed, leaving just local children and teenagers.
A friend shouted the warning “Man on!” as a black-clad figure wearing a balaclava was spotted crouching and moving towards them with a large knife.
Three more masked men in black then stood up from behind cars where they had been hiding, the court was told.
Fatal Wounds Described
Leonardo was stabbed in the chest, with the wound cutting through his left lung and a major blood vessel, causing catastrophic blood loss. His brother fled the scene but returned to find Leonardo lying motionless on the ground.
Mr Shekaj was stabbed in the back, with the wound penetrating deep through his left lung. He was driven to Whittington Hospital by members of the public but died on arrival.
Mr Abdullahi survived despite being seriously wounded in what Detective Inspector Barry described as a “senseless, violent act which has shattered the lives of so many.”
Electronic Tags and Escape Attempt
Both Furtado and Lupqi were wearing electronic monitoring tags at the time of the murders, the court heard. After the attack, a taxi took the killers to Chunda’s home address.
Four defendants were arrested between July 2023 and May 2024, but Lupqi cut off his electronic tag and fled to Kosovo. He was extradited back to the UK on 12 November when he was finally arrested.
The trial was dramatically halted midway through when Lupqi attacked co-defendant Chunda in the dock at Highgate Hill, “spraying the dock with blood which had to be deep cleaned before the court could reassemble.”
Bragging in Rap Lyrics
Evidence recovered from Poponne’s phone included rap lyrics in which he allegedly “glorified” the killings and bragged he “got me a trio”, referring to the three victims.
The Islington resident had joined the attack after being recruited by Lupqi and Furtado, donning masks and arming themselves before travelling to meet at the estate.
Detective Inspector Barry thanked “members of the public who tried to help and save the lives of those injured and have assisted our team with inquiries.
Mistaken Identity Attack
The killers had mistakenly believed those at the music video shoot were rival gang members, leading to what prosecutors called a “murderous” assault on innocent victims.
The atmosphere at the video shoot had been “happy” before the attack, though some local residents had complained about the noise earlier in the evening.
“This was a senseless, violent act which has shattered the lives of so many, especially Leonardo and Klevi’s loved ones,” Detective Inspector Barry said.
Long Prison Sentences Expected
Following the guilty verdicts, all five defendants were remanded in custody to await sentencing on 25 and 26 September at the Old Bailey.
This dangerous group of men will now spend a long time behind bars but the effect of what they did will be felt by the victim’s shattered families for longer,” Detective Inspector Barry added.
The convictions follow what the Metropolitan Police described as a complex investigation into the gang-related violence that claimed two innocent lives in a case of tragic mistaken identity.
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