Three men have been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Gregory Castillo Volquez, who was brutally attacked and stabbed 22 times in Haringey, north London, on January 13, 2025. Benito Ramirez Kones, 20, Carlos Akum Metumbe, 22, and Luiggi Perelli Santana, 22, were found guilty of the killing.
Mr. Volquez had been out drinking with friends and was attacked in a car park. The assault involved an "arsenal of knives," a crutch, and a plank embedded with nails. He was pronounced dead at the scene, having sustained 22 sharp force injuries, and evidence indicated he was also stamped and kicked in the face.
Following the attack, Metumbe and Santana, who are Spanish and Italian nationals respectively, fled to Spain. Kones, also a Spanish national, remained in Britain. Kones was arrested in Swansea, while Metumbe and Santana were extradited back to the UK in August and October of last year.
During sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, the judge described the crime as "truly wicked" and committed by "very dangerous men." The judge noted that the defendants had shown no real remorse and chose to contest the case, which precluded a reduction in sentence for guilty pleas. The violence inflicted was deemed grossly disproportionate to any potential threat Mr. Volquez could have posed.
Evidence presented in court indicated that Metumbe and Santana launched a combined attack on Mr. Volquez with a machete and the crutch. Kones's trainer heel was also found to have struck the victim above his eye while he was bleeding. The court heard that at the time of the murder, Kones was serving a suspended sentence for possessing a knife, and Santana was on bail for possessing a machete.
Mr. Volquez's mother, Lusitania, read a victim impact statement to the court, describing the profound pain of his loss. She stated that her son was a kind and noble person with a big heart, and his death left a "huge void" in their family's life, forever changing her own life and causing irreparable damage. She expressed a prayer for God not to fill her with hatred for those who killed her son.
The judge also addressed the defendants' testimonies, noting that they attempted to limit their involvement to what could be proven by CCTV and forensic evidence, denying repeatedly stabbing the deceased with the seized knives. Each man was found to have acted as a principal in the offense. All three were subsequently jailed for life or life in custody.