Four men have been jailed for the murder of Kacey Boothe in Walthamstow.
Ka’mani Brightly-Donaldson (main picture), Kammar Henry-Richards, Joao Pateco-te and Jeffrey Gyimah were found guilty at the Old Bailey on Monday, December 11 and Tuesday, December 12, following a trial lasting ten weeks.
They were also convicted of conspiracy to murder another man and conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life.
A sentencing hearing was held at the Old Bailey yesterday, following an investigation by Met Police detectives.
- Ka’mani Brightly-Donaldson (25) of High Street, Ponders End was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 38 years.
- Kammar Henry-Richards (26) of Cambrian Road, E10 and Joao Pateco-te (28) of Chelmer Road, Hackney, were jailed for a minimum of 37 years.
- Jeffrey Gyimah (23) of Queensbridge Road, Hackney, will serve a minimum of 35 years.
A fifth man, Roody Thomas (27) of Berger Road, E9, was sentenced to five years behind bars after admitting possession of a firearm.
Kacey (25) was shot dead in Forest Rise on August 13, 2022 as he left a children’s birthday party at the Peterhouse Community Centre.
Police arrived at around 9.20pm to find Kacey had already been taken to hospital, where he died.
Homicide detectives from the Specialist Crime Command began an investigation which involved trawling hours of CCTV footage to identify the suspects.
It was through this extensive work and witness accounts that detectives identified the shooter had left the scene in a stolen car.
These enquiries resulted in warrants being executed at addresses in north London with a total of six arrests being made.
Officers discovered that Kacey and the defendants were linked to rival gangs in north London and had already been involved in a number of violent incidents. After the shooting, one of the defendants, Henry-Richards wrote drill music lyrics boasting about the attack.
However, it is believed that Kacey was not the intended target of the shooting, and the killers had instead been aiming to kill another man.
Detective chief inspector Larry Smith, whose team carried out the investigation, said: “I am pleased to see these men held responsible for their actions and hope today’s long sentences serve as a warning to others who involve themselves in gang-related violence.
“I would like to commend my team for their tenacious and dedicated investigation, trawling through hours of CCTV, analysing mobile phones and speaking with a number of witnesses to piece together the exact movements of these individuals prior to this deadly attack.
“Ultimately, a family have lost their loved one and for this my thoughts remain with Kacey’s family and friends at this difficult time.”
