Marcus Monzo was convicted of murdering a schoolboy and three attempted murders in a 20-minute rampage
A man who went on a frenzied sword attack in Hainault, northeast London—leaving a teenage boy dead and several others seriously injured—has been found guilty of murder and three attempted murders following a harrowing trial at the Old Bailey.
Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, was convicted of the murder of 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin, whom he attacked with a samurai sword while the boy walked to school in his PE kit. Jurors heard the injuries to Daniel’s head and neck were “unsurvivable.” Monzo showed no emotion as the verdicts were read.
The jury also found him guilty of three counts of attempted murder, including brutal assaults on a pedestrian and two police officers. He was also convicted of wounding with intent, aggravated burglary, and possessing a bladed article. However, he was cleared of one attempted murder charge, downgraded to wounding with intent.
The rampage unfolded across a chilling 20-minute window in April 2024. Prosecutors said Monzo was in a cannabis-induced psychosis and “out of control.” The court heard he had killed and skinned his pet cat before launching into a spree of seemingly random and targeted violence, described as nothing short of a “miracle” that more weren’t killed.
The attack began when Monzo rammed his van into Donato Iwule, catapulting the man into a garden before slashing his neck with the samurai blade. Monzo then turned on Daniel, nearly decapitating him on a residential street. Witnesses described the killer screaming in “delight” after the slaying—one comparing it to a twisted celebration.
Bodycam footage revealed Monzo also chased down Pc Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield, striking her three times with his 60cm blade. Later, he broke into a home, attacked a couple asleep in bed and reportedly asked them, “Do you believe in God?” before fleeing.
He was eventually cornered in a car park by Inspector Molloy Campbell, who sustained a slash wound while trying to detain him. Monzo was finally arrested after climbing onto a garage roof.
Though Monzo admitted to owning the swords, he denied the charges, claiming diminished responsibility due to a dissociative state. He told the court he had no memory of the violence and believed he was “in a game.”
But prosecutors rejected that defence, saying his psychosis was self-induced through cannabis use and therefore not legally excusable. Tom Little KC told the jury that Monzo’s actions were intentional, ferocious, and rooted in his own choices.
After the guilty verdict, disturbing details emerged about Monzo’s online activity. He had shown interest in far-right ideology, conspiracy theories, Incel subcultures, and controversial figures like Andrew Tate. His social media accounts revealed posts praising Hitler and echoing antisemitic tropes, alongside rants about chemtrails and shadowy government plots.
He also liked posts related to violent extremism and shared misogynistic Incel content. One post read: “The city is GREY. And the reason is BECAUSE they spray the sky ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.”
Monzo’s digital footprint, paired with his violent outburst, has reignited concerns about the growing overlap between online radicalisation and real-world violence.
He is due to be sentenced on Friday at the Old Bailey, with the judge expected to consider both the extreme brutality of the attack and Monzo’s mental health arguments.
As the community reels from the horror of Daniel’s death, police and prosecutors say the verdict brings at least some measure of justice, though nothing can undo the tragedy of a child killed on his way to school.
