Five gang members who murdered 15-year-old Leonardo Reid and 23-year-old Klevi Shekaj in a frenzied machete attack at a rap video shoot have been jailed for a combined 189 years, with ringleader Lorik Lupqi and Jason Furtado – who evaded deportation nine years ago – receiving the longest sentences.
Furtado, 28, who was due to be deported to Portugal in February 2016, was found guilty alongside four accomplices of murdering schoolboy Leonardo and Klevi during a brutal ambush on the Elthorne Estate in Islington, North London, on 29 June 2023.
The Portuguese national had successfully fought deportation through at least two appeals whilst continuing a violent crime spree that included a 2017 incident where he crashed a stolen car into four people outside an Islington pub, leaving them with life-threatening injuries. Despite this horrific attack, which earned him a four-year prison sentence, immigration judges ruled he was entitled to the highest “imperative” level of protection from deportation because he had been a UK resident for more than 10 years.
Mistaken Identity Massacre
Judge Anuja Dhir KC, sentencing at the Old Bailey on Friday, condemned the “planned, brutal, murderous group attack” that saw the gang descend on what they wrongly believed was a gathering of rival gang members filming a music video. In reality, Leonardo Reid and Klevi Shekaj were innocent bystanders who had nothing to do with gang criminality.
Furtado and Xavier Poponne, 22, received minimum terms of 37 years, whilst Abel Chunda, 29, and Eden Clark, 31, were given minimum terms of 38 years. Lupqi, 21, described as “by far the worst” behaved defendant during the trial, received the longest sentence of at least 39 years. All five were also convicted of the attempted murder of Abdullah Abdullahi, 28, who survived despite suffering machete wounds to his body, head, and knee.
“With the exception of Xavier Poponne, your behaviour during this trial has been appalling,” Judge Dhir told the defendants, citing “constant outbursts in court, fights in the dock, disruptive behaviour in the cells in this building and difficult behaviour coming to and leaving this court.”
Two Hours of Planning, Five Minutes of Horror
The court heard how Lupqi, a gang member from Islington, spotted a large gathering on the Elthorne Estate around 8:30pm where drill group Tight Road Baby were filming a music video. Believing them to be “opps” – opposition gang members – he messaged his girlfriend who urged him to stay inside. Instead, Lupqi contacted Furtado, and together they orchestrated the attack on Leonardo Reid and Klevi Shekaj.
Over the next two hours, the gang made 50 short phone calls coordinating their assault. By the time they arrived at 11:20pm, most people had left the video shoot, but several innocent youngsters remained. In a five-minute window of extreme violence, the gang, armed with large machetes and wearing face coverings, launched their attack.
Leonardo Reid was stabbed in the chest and died at the scene. Klevi Shekaj suffered a devastating wound to his back that cut through his left lung; he was driven to Whittington Hospital by members of the public but died on arrival. Abdullah Abdullahi was chased by three attackers wielding machetes, slipping and falling before being struck multiple times. He told police he thought he was going to die before hearing one attacker say “leave him.
Electronic Tags and Drill Lyrics
Shockingly, both Furtado and Lupqi were wearing electronic monitoring tags at the time they murdered Leonardo Reid and Klevi Shekaj – a condition of their previous offending. After the killings, Lupqi cut off his tag and fled to Kosovo, messaging his girlfriend not to wait for him. He was extradited back to the UK in November 2024 and arrested at Luton Airport.
Following the murders of Leonardo and Klevi, the gang gathered at Chunda’s house in Highgate Hill. The next day, Poponne wrote drill lyrics glorifying the killings, including the line “got me a trio” – referencing the three victims. He also changed his social media name to ‘X3’, boasting about the number of people he had stabbed. The lyrics notably referenced how Leonardo Reid and Klevi Shekaj “were not involved in gang criminality.”
Families’ Anguish
Leonardo Reid’s mother, Valentina Locci, told the court: “My past, present and future has been crushed and taken, not only from me but my family, his siblings and all of our loved ones and friends, and for what? An adrenaline rush, an ego boost, a full sense of worth, a selfish gratification with no rewards, at cost to others.”
Klevi Shekaj’s mother, Valbona Shekaj, described her horror at the defendants’ behaviour: “Instead of showing remorse or asking for forgiveness, they smirked at us from the defendant’s box. They played with our pain, and treated this entire trial as a game, as if the life they took and the devastation they caused meant nothing.”
Failed Deportation Scandal
Jason Furtado’s case highlights catastrophic failures in the deportation system that ultimately cost Leonardo Reid and Klevi Shekaj their lives. Born in the UK three months after his Angolan parents claimed asylum, Furtado was first targeted for deportation in February 2016. Immigration tribunal documents reveal that despite professional support for over seven years, he showed no ability to rehabilitate. A 2019 assessment found he had “clear pro-criminal attitudes,” “little regard for laws and compliance,” and an “inability to consider legitimate alternatives” to crime.
His extensive criminal record includes 97 previous convictions for offences including robbery, assault, and possessing knives. Yet immigration judges repeatedly ruled he could not be deported to Portugal, where he had visited at most twice in his life, because of his length of residence in the UK.
Trial Violence
The 15-week trial itself was marred by violence, with Lorik Lupqi’s behaviour particularly appalling. Midway through proceedings, Lupqi attacked co-defendant Chunda in the dock, spraying blood across the courtroom which had to be deep-cleaned before the trial could resume. The jury deliberated for 53 hours and five minutes before returning guilty verdicts on all charges on 23 July.
Detective Inspector Jim Barry of Specialist Crime North 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. This was a senseless, violent act which has shattered the lives of so many, especially Leonardo and Klevi’s loved ones.”
Gang’s Capture
Chunda and Furtado were arrested on 3 July 2023, just days after murdering Leonardo Reid and Klevi Shekaj. Clark fled to the Suffolk coast and attempted to disguise himself but was tracked down and arrested on 12 July. Poponne was arrested in November 2023, when police discovered the incriminating drill lyrics on his phone. Lupqi’s extradition from Kosovo took over a year, with Metropolitan Police working alongside Kosovan authorities, the National Crime Agency, and the Crown Prosecution Service.
DI Barry added: “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 victims’ shattered families for longer. I thank the members of the public who tried to help and save the lives of those injured and have assisted our team with enquiries. We will continue to tackle violent offenders and ensure that justice is brought for the safety of our communities.”
The case has reignited debate about Britain’s deportation policies, with critics arguing that Jason Furtado should never have been free to murder Leonardo Reid and Klevi Shekaj had he been removed from the country nine years earlier when first ordered. The Home Office has not commented on why the deportation was not pursued more vigorously despite his escalating violence.
The senseless murders of Leonardo Reid, described as a “bright and popular boy” who loved football and music, and Klevi Shekaj, remembered by his mother as kind and filled with humour, have left two families devastated and a community demanding answers about how a man who should have been deported was free to kill.
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