Three jailed after Southwark Harper Road murder

An investigation was launched after officers were called to Riches home address in Harper Road, Southwark on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 and found the door partially open.

On entering the property, they found Riches lying on the floor, with stab and slash wounds.

Despite the efforts of paramedics who had rushed to the flat, Riches was pronounced dead at the scene.

When an officer called out to see if anyone else was in the house, they heard a woman reply “I’m here”.

Following her voice, officers went through the flat until they found her in a bedroom, bound with cable ties.

A scarf was tied around her neck and looked as though it had been used as a gag.

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command led the investigation and said: “We will never fully understand why Riches Obi was attacked and killed in his own home in such a brutal way, but it is thought that the three suspects were involved in some way in a money making scam with the woman they targeted.

“We don’t know if he attempted to intervene, but we do know he was subjected to a sustained assault that ultimately ended his life.”

Jurick Croes, 38, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 30 years for murder and nine years for false imprisonment, to be served concurrently, at the Old Bailey on Friday, July 12. He will receive credit for 877 days already served.

Raichell Felomina, 40, of no fixed address, received seven years and six months for false imprisonment and will be eligible for release after five years and four months. He will be deported upon release.

Suvenca Martis, 35, of Panmure Road, Lewisham, was sentenced to six years and six months for false imprisonment and five years for perverting the course of justice, totalling 11 years and six months, minus three years and four months served. She will also be deported upon release.

All three had been convicted following trial at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, 28 May.

During the property search, officers found a bag of cable ties identical to those used to bind the woman, with a price tag from a nearby hardware store.

CCTV footage from the store identified Martis as the purchaser. Further CCTV analysis showed her leaving in a rented vehicle, which she had hired during the days surrounding the murder After Martis was arrested later that month, detectives examined her phone.

It contained communications linking her to Felomina and Croes, including ferry times showing their arrival from Holland before the murder and their departure on the same ferry on November 17.

The phone also revealed Martis searched for heavy-duty duct tape the night before the murder and news of the incident afterward.

Forensic analysis linked Felomina and Croes to the crime. Two knives used in the attack had DNA matching both men.

Other items in the flat, including envelopes and the cable ties, also had their DNA. Croes's DNA was found on a black baseball hat in the bedroom, and his blood was discovered in the rented car Martis used.

Detectives tracked Felomina to Holland, where he was arrested and extradited to the UK in November 2021.

Croes fled to Colombia but was arrested in February 2022. After an 18-month extradition process, he was returned to the UK to face trial.

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb added: “The identification and arrest of Martis was the result of complex enquiries and forensics. Her arrest led us to identify Felomina and Croesh who attempted to avoid capture by fleeing the country.

“This case clearly demonstrates that international borders do not stop UK Law Enforcement from reaching out to capture criminals.

“We utilsed every international co-operation tool available to us in order to bring them back to the UK to face the consequences of their actions.

“My thoughts today are with Riches' family.

“They have waited many years to see justice done and it is my sincere wish that they may now find a way to move forward and cherish their memories of Riches without the spectre of this despicable crime hanging over them.”