A killer killed and skinned his own cat before hacking a schoolboy to death ‘in an instant’ during a 20-minute rampage with a samurai sword that left four others seriously injured, a court has heard.
Marcus Monzo, 37, of West Beckton, Newham, is accused of murdering 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin while he was on his way to school in Hainault, east London on April 30 last year.
Monzo is also accused of the attempted murders of female police officer PC Yasim Mechem-Whitfield, 35-year-old IT engineer Henry De Los Rios Polina, Sindy Arias and Donato Iwule, who was hit by his van.
Brazilian amateur musician and ‘mystic’ Monzo, is further accused of a count of causing grevious bodily harm to Sindy Arias and Henry De Los Rios Polina with a katana style sword, wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article.
On the opening day of the trial, the court heard that a post-mortem ruled Daniel died of a chopping injury to the neck.
‘This was an unsurvivable injury and was essentially a near decapitation of Daniel’s head,’ the jury was told.
Before setting out on his rampage, Monzo also killed, skinned and ‘deboned’ his cat. A police search of his home found the animal, as well as cannabis.
Whilst high on the drug he is alleged to have shouted ‘Does anyone believe in God’ as he attacked four strangers after ‘chopping’ the innocent schoolboy to death.
Introducing the case, prosecutor Tom Little, KC, said: ‘This case involved a brutal string of attacks with murderous intent primary committed with the use of a large sword.
Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo, a Spanish and Brazilian national, has denied murdering 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin
The incident saw 14-year-old schoolboy Daniel Anjorin (pictured) fatally wounded with a sword
‘It occurred over a period of only about 20 minutes early in morning of 30 April last year in Hainault.
‘One of those who was attacked was killed – the others were injured with various degrees of severity but the prosecution say there was a clear intention to kill a number of people that morning on the defendant’s part. It did not matter who they were or indeed how old they were.
‘Daniel Anjorin, the boy that was murdered did not know the defendant. He was just 14 years of age at the time.
‘He left home just before or at 7 o’clock in the morning. He was simply walking to school minding his own business, no doubt looking forward to the day ahead at school when he was killed by the defendant.
‘His life was snuffed out in an instant, in fact most accurately he was slain by the defendant with the use of a sword.
‘The force used was extreme. It involved a devastating and unsurvivable chopping injury to the left-hand side of his face and neck. Others were also attacked by the defendant with that sword that morning.’
Daniel was the youngest of three children from a local, church-going Nigerian family.
The keen Arsenal supporter was remembered as a ‘true scholar’ with a ‘gentle character’ – with well-wishers raising more than £143,000 on GoFundMe for a celebration of his life.
The prosecutor continued: ‘Daniel Anjorin was not the first person to be attacked. The first was someone called Donato Iwule.
‘He was deliberately driven into by the defendant in his van. In order to do so he drove at speed directly at him – knocking him into a garden before the defendant then got out of his van and attacked him with the same sword striking him to the neck.
Daniel had been on his way to school in Hainault, east London, after leaving his home just before 7am when he was caught up in the horrifying ordeal
Henry De Los Rios Polania, 35, an IT engineer from Hainault, was stabbed in his home on during the rampage
Monzo, 37, at Westminster Magistrates Court last year flanked by custody officers
A woman leaving flowers in Daniel’s memory at a police cordon near the scene in Hainault
‘Donato Iwule also did not know the defendant. If he had not managed to escape it seems almost inevitable that he too would have been killed.
‘Following that first attack the emergency services were called by members of the public who had witnessed what had taken place on the street.
‘Police rushed to the scene and the third victim was PC Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield.
‘She bravely pursued the defendant through a series of alleyways behind the residential properties in the area where the first two attacks had taken place the defendant was still armed with that large sword,’ said Mr Little.
‘She too could easily have been killed by the ferocious attack upon her. She was struck three times causing significant injuries.’
Monzo then burst into a house to attack a couple in their bedroom. Their child was sleeping in a bed next to them.
‘They were spared only because the four-year-old woke up and started to cry,’ Mr Little said. ‘By now there were many police officers present in the area.
‘The last of the attacks was on another police officer after the defendant was surrounded in a garage area nearby to the other attacks. After escaping from that area the defendant was eventually disarmed and arrested.’
The sword had a 60cm blade and a black handle. An 80cm sheath was also found.
Mr Little said: ‘Police subsequently searched the defendant’s Ford Transit van. A brown-handled knife with blood-staining was found in the rear of the van.
‘A sample of blood staining was taken from the blade which indicated that it was not human blood.
‘It is perhaps worth noting in that context that the defendant killed and skinned his own cat shortly before the matters that you are considering.’
Another sword was found in the van, a Katana sword with a 22cm blade.
Members of Daniel’s family were in court today as the case was opened to the jury.
Monzo appeared in the dock today wearing a green jumper.
In addition to the murder charges, he also denies aggravated burglary by entering a home in Laing Close with a Katana samurai sword with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to the residents.
He denies wounding with intent while trying to resist his lawful apprehension and having an article with a blade or point, namely a kitchen knife.
