Man 'slaughtered like an animal' in front of mother in argument over a sham marriage

A London, UK, man posing as a groom has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 30 years for the brutal stabbing of a 25-year-old after he held the victim's mother captive following a dispute over a fake marriage scheme.

Jurick Croes, who was paid $500 for a sham marriage , plotted to rob Bernadette Ortet after expecting a payout of $50,000, according to UK news outlet, the Old Bailey.

The incident occurred when Croes and two others invaded Ms. Ortet's home near Elephant and Castle in south-east London in November 2020. During the confrontation, Ms. Ortet's son, Riches Obi, attempted to defend her and was tragically killed . The assailants restrained Ms. Ortet using cable ties and a scarf in a bedroom of the house.

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The court was informed that Ms. Ortet was purportedly involved in organizing sham marriages and was working as a case worker for a law firm specializing in immigration and nationality at the time. After a second trial, Croes, 38, with no permanent residence, was convicted of Mr. Obi's murder and the false imprisonment of his mother.

On Friday, Judge Nigel Lickley sentenced Croes to life, stating that he committed a "vicious and savage" murder of an unarmed man in his own residence. Concurrently, Croes received a nine-year sentence for false imprisonment, reports MyLondon .

Raichell Felomina, 40, with no permanent residence, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison for false imprisonment.

Meanwhile, Suvenca Martis, 34, from Forest Hill, south-east London, a hairdresser turned model agency boss, received an 11-and-a-half year sentence for her role in the sham marriage scam and for false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice.

Judge Lickley described Martis as a "willing and active" participant in the criminal scheme. Additionally, Martis faced three-and-a-half years, to run concurrently, for five counts of possession of drugs with intent to supply, including MDMA, heroin, cocaine, among others, which she confessed to holding for someone else. Ms Ortet, currently in Nigeria, provided a victim impact statement expressing her anguish and sorrow.

She blasted the "heartless" culprits, stating her son was brutally murdered and "slaughtered like an animal." She remembered her son as the family's "cornerstone", a selfless man who lived a simple life with the "highest values."

She shared: "My mind knows nothing but trauma and terror. I lost the full function of my neck since I was assaulted." She accused the defendants of being "shameless and untruthful" and displaying no regret for their actions.

The court was informed that police were summoned to a stabbing incident at a residence on Harper Road near Elephant and Castle on November 17, 2020. Upon arrival, they discovered Mr. Obi in the blood-soaked hallway with stab and slash wounds to his chest, the front door partially open.

An officer called out to check if anyone else was present in the apartment, and a woman's voice responded, "I'm here" the jury heard. Following her voice, officers found Mr. Obi's mother, Ms. Ortet, in a bedroom.

Her wrists and ankles were bound with cable ties, and a scarf around her neck seemed to have slipped from her mouth, having been used as a gag. The room was heavily smeared with blood - on the bed, door, furniture, walls, and ceiling, the court heard.

Despite attempts to save Mr. Obi, he was declared dead at the scene. A search of the flat revealed that Mr. Obi's bedroom appeared to have been rummaged through, and a roll of duct tape was found under a chair.