Three men have been convicted at the Old Bailey for their roles in a violent fight that resulted in the fatal stabbing of David Bello-Monerville in north London.
29-year-old Nathan Harewood was found guilty of murder. 27-year-old Khalil Rehman and 28-year-old Francis Appiageyi were found guilty of manslaughter. All three were found guilty of aggravated burglary.
In relation to the unlawful wounding of David's brothers Jonathan and Taiye, the jury found all three not guilty in relation to Jonathan but guilty in relation to Taiye.
They will all be sentenced at the same court on Wednesday, 22 December.
David Bello-Monerville
David Bello-Monerville
The court heard how 38-year-old David had been at home with his brother, Jonathan in Welbeck Road, East Barnet on the evening of 18 June 2019. Harewood, Rehman and Appiageyi had travelled to the area in a rented car with the intention of gaining entry to David’s flat and robbing him.
The three suspects, armed with two knives and a hammer, lay in wait outside and as David and his brother left the flat at 22.40 hours to go to a nearby shop, Harewood, Rehman and Appiageyi were outside lying in wait. The three rushed past the unsuspecting pair and proceeded to ransack David’s flat, stealing his laptop and other property.
Shut outside the premises, David alerted a neighbour to call the police and Jonathan called another brother, Taiye living nearby who made his way to the scene to help his brothers.
As David and his brothers waited outside for the Police to attend, Harewood, Rehman and Appiageyi emerged from the flat and ran towards them in order to flee the scene.
The brothers attempted to stop them leaving and a fight ensued, resulting in the brothers managing to restrain Rehman who called out for help from his accomplices. Harewood, realising Rehman had been caught, returned to help free him. In the ensuing altercation, Harewood stabbed David five times in back, the injuries inflicted proving to be fatal. At the same time Harewood also stabbed Taiye in the arm and Jonathan in the leg, before fleeing the scene along with Rehman who had been released and Appiageyi.
When officers arrived on scene they found David lying in the road. They immediately began CPR until paramedics arrived and took David to hospital. Sadly, despite all their best efforts, David died shortly after midnight.
On searching the surrounding street, officers recovered a knife sheath with Appiageyi’s DNA on it along with the knife Harewood had used. They also found Harewood’s blood at the scene, he had cut his hand while wielding the knife during the attack.
On leaving the scene, Rehman returned to the car and phone records show he was in contact with Appiageyi in order to meet up with him and flee the area together. He also made contact with Harewood throughout the hours following the incident.
All three suspects were arrested over the course of the next ten days and subsequently charged with David’s murder.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Partridge from the Met’s murder investigation team led the investigation. He said: “Harewood, Rehman and Appiageyi chose to arm themselves and attend David’s flat that evening with the intention of carrying out a robbery. They did not care what level of violence they used to achieve their aim and it was their actions that led to David’s death.
“David, with the support of family members, did what they could to stop the suspects fleeing, sadly David paid for his actions with his life.
“I would like to offer my sincere condolences to David’s family who have suffered so much heartache. While nothing will bring David back, I hope there is some small solace in the fact that those responsible for his death have now been held to account.”
In a Victim Impact Statement, David’s Mother - Linda Burke-Monerville said: “My son was a hard-working man. A wonderful human being and a wonderful son. His brothers and sisters looked up to him, and despite the other tragedies that have afflicted this family, David strived to be the best man that he could be.
“Our family has struggled to comprehend how we could lose David in such horrific circumstances and this has devastated all of us.
“I am truly broken. A mother should not bury her son and I am suffering in ways that words cannot describe.
“What these men did that night, whatever it was that they set out to do, has changed our world forever.”