Hainault sword attacker Marcus Monzo found guilty of murdering boy, 14, and three attempted murders
Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, nearly decapitated Daniel Anjorin and attacked five others during a 20-minute rampage in April last year.
Wednesday 25 June 2025 21:31, UK
A man has been found guilty of murdering a 14-year-old boy with a samurai sword as he walked to school in east London.
Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, nearly decapitated Daniel Anjorin and attacked five others during a 20-minute rampage in Hainault on 30 April last year.
Prosecutors said he skinned and deboned his pet cat Wizard before trying "to kill as many people as he could" while under the influence of cannabis.
Monzo, a Spanish-Brazilian national from Newham in east London, admitted two charges of possessing an offensive weapon relating to two swords, which he said he bought for display purposes.
He claimed he had no memory of carrying out the attacks and denied Daniel's murder along with four charges of attempted murder, wounding with intent, aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article.
He was cleared of one count of attempted murder - instead found guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm - and convicted of all other charges following a trial at the Old Bailey.
The court heard Monzo was a "talented martial artist" and the jury was shown footage of him unboxing a samurai sword on 4 April last year.
In the four-minute video clip, he calls the weapon "freaking sexy" as he lunges towards the camera and makes different moves.
The court was also shown CCTV footage from the morning of 30 April, with audible screams in one clip as Monzo drove his grey Ford Transit van at speed into pedestrian Donato Iwule.
Mr Iwule told jurors: "I thought I was dying" and "I saw blood coming out of my neck", after he was struck with a sword before running away.
Witnesses described how Monzo was running around "like a maniac" and "looked a bit mad, like there was nothing there".
Daniel, who had left home at around 7am wearing headphones and school sports clothes, suffered "a near-decapitation" when Monzo attacked him with the weapon from behind, prosecutor Tom Little KC told the jury.
PC Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield chased the armed attacker through alleyways before Monzo struck her three times with the 60cm blade using "extreme force", the court heard.
He then entered a nearby house through the back door and walked upstairs before attacking sleeping couple Sindy Arias and Henry De Los Rios Polania, who he asked: "Do you believe in God?"
Mr Little said their lives were only spared because their four-year-old daughter, who was sleeping nearby, woke up and started to cry.
Monzo, who had been cornered by police, also struck Inspector Moloy Campbell once with the sword before he was finally disarmed and arrested after trying to climb onto a garage to escape.
Doorbell footage shows the moment officers shout: "Don't move, don't f* move", after he was brought to the ground by three separate taser discharges.
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Monzo told police he had "many personalities", including a "professional assassin", and compared the events to The Hunger Games film franchise.
He wept while giving evidence as he said he did not intend to harm anybody and told jurors he had no memory of what happened.
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He told how he had previously used psychedelic drugs and smoked cannabis "three or four times a week" before the attack, but denied doing so on the day.
Prosecutors said he likely suffered from a psychotic disorder with "schizophrenic-like symptoms", including "delusional beliefs" that both he and his family were in "mortal danger".
But Mr Little said his psychotic state was self-induced and did not meet the threshold for diminished responsibility.