Cannabis-crazed killer Marcus Monzo showed NO emotion as judge condemned him for ‘devastating’ murder that shocked Britain
A deranged swordsman who virtually beheaded a 14-year-old schoolboy in a horrific rampage through suburban London streets has been caged for life with a minimum of 38 years.
Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, sat stone-faced at the Old Bailey today as Mr Justice Bennathan condemned him for the “devastating” murder of talented teenager Daniel Anjorin – but the coward couldn’t even face his sentence, walking out moments after it was read.
The Spanish-Brazilian martial arts fanatic had been smoking £100-a-day worth of cannabis before launching his savage 20-minute killing spree in Hainault last April, which left five others seriously wounded and a community forever scarred.
‘Worst nightmare’ for devastated dad
In heartbreaking scenes at court, Daniel’s father Dr Ebenezer Anjorin revealed how he discovered his dying son lying in a pool of blood just minutes after the teenager had waved goodbye to his mum and set off for school.
“I didn’t realise it was Daniel at first,” the grieving father said, according to court testimony. But as I got closer, I recognised the school sports clothes and saw his face. He was motionless.”
The devoted dad had rushed from his home after his eldest son frantically told him Daniel had been stabbed nearby. What he found was every parent’s worst nightmare – his youngest child brutally cut down in what should have been an ordinary Tuesday morning.
Screamed in ‘delight’ after killing
Witnesses described how Monzo – who held a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu – dropped to his knees and raised both arms to the sky after fatally striking Daniel, letting out what one horrified onlooker called a “scream of delight.
Maria Olmos, who saw the attack unfold, told the court: “It wasn’t a scream of pain, it was a scream of delight – my interpretation was he was celebrating.
The killer had crept up behind Daniel as the youngster walked to school wearing his PE kit and headphones, delivering what prosecutors called an “unsurvivable” blow to the side of his head and neck with a 60cm samurai sword.
Rampage began with van attack
Monzo’s trail of terror started at 6:45am when he deliberately rammed his grey Ford Transit van into 33-year-old Donato Iwule, who was walking to work from Hainault station.
CCTV footage showed the victim being “catapulted” into a nearby garden by the impact, according to Metropolitan Police evidence. Monzo then pursued Mr Iwule with his sword, slashing at his neck whilst shouting “I don’t care – I’m going to kill you!”
The brave victim managed to escape despite his injuries, but Monzo’s bloodlust wasn’t satisfied. Minutes later, he spotted Daniel walking down the quiet residential street where he lived.
Hero cops risked lives to stop killer
When police arrived to help the dying teenager, Monzo sprang from bushes like a wild animal and attacked them too. PC Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield suffered what colleagues described as “brutal and life-changing” injuries including a fractured skull when the sword-wielding maniac struck her three times with “extreme force”.
Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell praised the officers’ extraordinary bravery, telling reporters outside court: “I am in no doubt that the actions of those officers who arrived to pursue and attempt to detain Monzo saved lives and prevented more harm.”
Inspector Molloy Campbell also received a slash wound to his hand as he tried to subdue the attacker in a car park, before Monzo was finally brought down with Tasers.
Invaded family home demanding ‘Do you believe in God?’
In perhaps the most chilling episode of his rampage, Monzo broke into a nearby home where a couple were sleeping with their four-year-old daughter. The terrified parents woke to find the blood-soaked intruder standing over them, demanding to know if they “believed in God” before attacking the girl’s father.
Henry De Los Rios Polania suffered neck and arm wounds defending his family from the sword-wielding lunatic, who had already killed and skinned his own pet cat “Wizard” earlier that morning.
Bizarre beliefs and drug-fuelled delusions
The court heard how Monzo – a former Amazon delivery driver – had descended into madness after years of drug abuse and bizarre spiritual practices. He believed the Earth was flat, thought 9/11 was a conspiracy, and even drank his own urine as part of twisted “cleansing” rituals.
His brother told investigators that Monzo “started acting differently” after attending ayahuasca retreats in the Amazon rainforest, where participants consume hallucinogenic tea. He’d also spent time at a retreat in India and attended “breatharian” festivals where followers claim to survive without food or water.
After his arrest, the killer compared his actions to Hollywood film The Hunger Games and claimed to have an alternative personality as a “professional assassin”. But prosecutors successfully argued his psychosis was self-induced through cannabis abuse, making him fully responsible for his crimes.
‘Clever, talented boy’ had bright future
Daniel Anjorin was everything his killer was not – a bright, promising young man with his whole life ahead of him. The Arsenal fan had recently been selected for a Cambridge University visit to learn about applications and excelled at both sports and music, playing violin and piano.
“He was a true scholar,” his school Bancroft’s said in tribute. In a cruel twist of fate, it was the same school attended by Grace O’Malley-Kumar, who was stabbed to death in Nottingham the previous year.
His devastated parents said in a statement: “Daniel 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.”
Justice at last – but scars remain
As Mr Justice Bennathan handed down the life sentence with a 38-year minimum term, he acknowledged no punishment could ease the family’s grief. Daniel was a clever boy, he was gifted musically and played a variety of sports well,” the judge said. His loss is devastating to his parents, his brother and sister and his grandparents.
But in a final act of cowardice, Monzo couldn’t even face the full reading of his sentence, walking out of court almost immediately after hearing his fate.
Around 300 mourners gathered at Hainault tube station last May to remember Daniel, while Arsenal fans paid tribute with banners and a minute’s applause at the Emirates Stadium.
For this tight-knit East London community, the scars of that terrible April morning will never fully heal. But at least they now know the monster who brought such horror to their streets will spend the best part of four decades behind bars – though for Daniel’s family, that can never be long enough.
