Three men jailed for life for London machete murder

Three men have been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Gregory Catillo Volquez, a father who was attacked in a north London car park on January 13, 2025. The defendants—Benito Ramirez Kones, 20, Carlos Akum Metumbe, 22, and Luiggi Perelli Santana, 22—were convicted at Southwark Crown Court following an eight-week trial.

During the attack in Haringey, the group used an arsenal of weapons, including a machete, a “Rambo” knife, and a hospital crutch, to assault Mr. Volquez. Evidence presented in court showed he sustained 22 sharp force injuries and was also kicked and stamped on. The judge described the incident as a “truly wicked crime” and noted that the violence was “grossly disproportionate to any threat he could have posed.”

Kones and Santana received minimum terms of 23 years, while Metumbe was sentenced to a minimum of 22 years. In a victim impact statement, Mr. Volquez’s partner, Teresa, spoke of the profound loss felt by their young daughter, stating that the tragedy “robbed her of the opportunity to grow up beside him.”