Spanish-Brazilian Man Convicted of Murdering 14-Year-Old Schoolboy in London

Spanish-Brazilian Marcus Monzo has been convicted and faces a life sentence for the murder of 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin, a British-Nigerian schoolboy in London. 

The jury at London’s Central Criminal Court found Monzo guilty of murder, along with three counts of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary, and possession of a bladed weapon.

On April 30 last year, the 37-year-old Monzo launched a series of random attacks in Hainault, northeast London, lasting 20 minutes, intending to harm as many people as possible.

During the trial at the Old Bailey, it was revealed that Monzo approached Anjorin from behind and struck him with a fatal blow to his face and neck.

Witnesses recounted how Monzo fell to his knees, arms raised, and screamed in joy at the tragic incident. 

Anjorin's parents, present in court as distressing CCTV footage and body camera footage were shown, mourned their "beloved son" and "precious brother," expressing their heartbreak over his untimely death. They said it was still hard to comprehend that he would never return home after leaving for school.

In addition to killing Daniel, Monzo, a blue-belt holder in Brazilian jiu jitsu, attacked a passerby, two police officers, and a couple in their home before being apprehended.

Monzo compared the incidents to the Hollywood film The Hunger Games during the trial and claimed to have an alternate persona as a ‘professional assassin.’

He testified that he could not recall the events and argued that his mental state diminished his responsibility for his actions. However, the prosecution countered that self-induced intoxication due to psychosis was not a valid defense for murder.

Although Monzo acknowledged consuming ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic tea, there was no evidence of DMT, the drug found in the drink, in his system. The court learned that Monzo had acted out stabbing gestures while discussing “killing films” with a staff member at Broadmoor secure psychiatric hospital.

The jury ultimately found him guilty of the murder of Daniel, three attempted murder charges, aggravated burglary, and possessing a kitchen knife, but cleared him of one attempted murder charge related to Henry De Los Rios Polania, instead convicting him of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Monzo showed no emotion when the verdicts were announced and had previously admitted to having both the samurai sword used in Daniel's murder and a katana sword found in his vehicle.

Evidence revealed that Monzo initiated the attacks by driving his grey Ford Transit van into Donato Iwule, who was thrown into a nearby garden, before crashing into a concrete pillar.

He then struck  Iwule in the neck with the sword and fled. Subsequently, he fatally injured Daniel, who was wearing headphones on his way to school, causing jurors to hear how he virtually decapitated the boy.

Witness Maria Olmos testified that after fatally injuring Daniel, Monzo dropped to his knees and held his hands up, releasing a loud scream that she interpreted as celebrating the act rather than expressing pain.

PC Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield was struck three times with the 60cm blade with considerable force while pursuing Monzo through alleys and residential areas.

Monzo later invaded a home, attacking a couple asleep in their upstairs bedroom, demanding to know if they "believe in God" before leaving. Inspector Molloy Campbell suffered a slash to his hand while trying to restrain Monzo in a parking lot.

Monzo was eventually caught after climbing onto the roof of a garage. Following his arrest, he alleged that his personality had changed and described the events as if they were akin to a game.

In his testimony, Monzo discussed being bullied as a child in Brazil before relocating to Britain in 2013.

He engaged in mixed martial arts until an injury in 2016 led him to discover yoga and the "magical, miraculous, and supernatural" elements of spirituality.

He spent a year at a retreat in India, began following a guru on YouTube, and consumed ayahuasca.

Sentencing for Monzo is set for Friday at the Old Bailey.