Daniel Anjorin, 14, couldn’t hear neighbours’ desperate warnings because he was wearing headphones as sword-wielding attacker approached from behind
A “mystic musician” who allegedly hacked a 14-year-old schoolboy to death with a samurai sword told police officers “Is there anybody here who believes in God?” as he rampaged through a quiet London suburb, a court has heard.
Marcus Monzo, 37, is accused of “largely decapitating” Daniel Anjorin in a horrific attack that saw the teenager slashed in the neck from behind before being stabbed in the chest as he lay dying on the ground.
The Old Bailey heard that neighbours desperately tried to warn Daniel of the danger – but the schoolboy was wearing headphones and couldn’t hear their screams as the sword-wielding attacker approached him from behind on April 30 last year.
The dual Spanish-Brazilian national, who describes himself as a “mystic and musician” on social media, allegedly crashed a van into a pedestrian before embarking on a 20-minute killing spree that left four others seriously injured, including a female police officer who almost lost her hand.
THE RAMPAGE BEGINS
The court heard the horrific sequence of events began just before 7am when Monzo allegedly crashed a van into a fence in Laing Close, Hainault, hitting pedestrian Donato Iwule in the process.
Prosecutor David Burns told Westminster Magistrates’ Court that Monzo then got out of the van and declared he would kill Mr Iwule before slashing him in the neck.
Fifteen minutes later, the alleged attacker broke into a nearby home where IT engineer Henry De Los Rios Poliana, 35, was asleep with his partner Sindy Arias and their four-year-old daughter.
He went into the bedroom and attacked the child’s father, shouting about believing in God and causing injuries to his neck and arm,” the prosecutor said.
DANIEL’S FINAL MOMENTS
The most chilling testimony concerned Daniel’s death. Prosecutor Tom Little KC told the Old Bailey that Monzo ran up behind the teenager as he walked to his prestigious £24,999-a-year Bancroft’s School in Woodford Green.
Daniel was largely decapitated in the attack,” Mr Little said, with a post-mortem examination finding the cause of death was “sharp force trauma to the head.
Neighbour Aiste Dabasinskaite revealed the heartbreaking detail that she and others had tried to warn Daniel of the danger.
“The man approached me first and I managed to run away when he drew the sword,” she told reporters. “We tried to shout warnings to Daniel but he couldn’t hear us because he was wearing headphones.”
POLICE OFFICERS ATTACKED
When PC Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield, 35, and Inspector Moloy Elec Campbell arrived to help the dying teenager, Monzo allegedly jumped out from behind a bush wielding his sword.
The court heard he chased the officers before attacking PC Mechem-Whitfield as she lay on the ground, causing what Met Police Chief Sir Mark Rowley described as injuries that almost cost her her hand.
Inspector Campbell was also seriously wounded as he tried to arrest the attacker.
‘IS THERE ANYBODY HERE WHO BELIEVES IN GOD?’
Throughout the rampage, witnesses described Monzo shouting and swearing as he climbed over gardens and garages to evade police.
Video footage captured the attacker yelling: “Is there anybody here who believes in God?
The terror finally ended at 7:22am when further police officers confronted Monzo in a resident’s driveway, striking him with multiple Taser rounds before tackling him to the ground.
THE ACCUSED
Monzo, who lives in West Beckton, Newham, appeared at the Old Bailey via video link from Belmarsh Prison, speaking slowly with long pauses to confirm his name.
Social media photos show the 37-year-old smiling with medals around his neck after archery competitions, where he dressed as Robin Hood just weeks before the alleged attack.
He faces 10 charges including:
- Murder of Daniel Anjorin
- Four counts of attempted murder (Donato Iwule, PC Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield, Henry De Los Rios Polania, and Sindy Arias)
- Wounding Inspector Moloy Campbell with intent
- Aggravated burglary
- Three counts of possession of a bladed article (a katana sword, tanto katana sword, and kitchen knife)
At a plea hearing in May, Monzo admitted possessing the two Japanese swords but denied all other charges, including possession of the kitchen knife.
A FAMILY DESTROYED
Daniel’s devastated parents issued a heartbreaking statement: “We as a family are devastated by the loss of our beloved son Daniel. It is difficult for us at this time to process what has happened to him and that he will never come home.
“Daniel had left the house for school and then he was gone. Our children have lost their loving and precious brother and we have lost the most loved and amazing son.”
The teenager, described as a “true scholar” with a “gentle character,” was remembered at a vigil attended by 300 people at Hainault tube station. A GoFundMe page raised more than £28,000 for a celebration of his life.
SCHOOL’S DOUBLE TRAGEDY
In a cruel twist of fate, Bancroft’s School was already reeling from tragedy – former pupil Grace O’Malley-Kumar had been stabbed to death in Nottingham the previous summer while trying to save her friend Barnaby Webber.
The school flew its flag at half-mast as students and staff left flowers, hand-written notes, teddies and a painting of Daniel at the bottom of Laing Close.
HERO BROTHER
The sister of victim Henry De Los Rios Polania described her brother as a “hero” for protecting his young family during the home invasion, despite suffering serious injuries to his neck and arm.
THE TRIAL
Monzo’s trial is set to begin on June 3, 2025, at the Old Bailey, with Judge Mark Lucraft KC presiding over what is expected to be a three-week hearing.
The alleged attacker, who has been remanded in custody, will face questions about how a morning in suburban London turned into what prosecutors describe as one of the most horrific sword attacks in recent British history.
For Daniel Anjorin’s family, who are relying on their deep Christian faith to cope with their grief, the trial will be another agonising chapter in their search for justice for their “much loved” son who brought joy to everyone he met.
