Kacey Boothe, 25, was shot dead as he left a children’s birthday party at the Peterhouse Community Centre in August 2022, reports Marco Marcelline
Kacey Boothe
Four men have been sentenced for the murder of Kacey Boothe, 25, who was shot dead as he left a children’s birthday party at the Peterhouse Community Centre in August 2022.
Ka’mani Brightly-Donaldson, Kammar Henry-Richards, Joao Pateco-te and Jeffrey Gyimah were found guilty at the Old Bailey on Monday, 11th December and Tuesday 12th December 2023 following a trial lasting ten weeks.
Yesterday (14th January), Brightly-Donaldson, 25, was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 38 years, while Henry-Richards, 26, and Patesco-te, 28, were both handed life sentences of at least 37 years.
Gyimah, 23, was given a life sentence of at least 35 years while a fifth man, Roofy Thomas, 27, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment after admitting possession of a firearm.
Homicide detectives identified the shooter had left the scene in a stolen car.
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, from Leyton, wrote drill music lyrics boasting about the attack.
In a rap video called ‘Kay-O Laughing Stock’ he rapped, “Big Boothe and Little got hit, same sig, that’s a sour family.
“Both got slapped at functions, neck and head, handguns come handy.”
However, it is believed that Kacey was not the intended target of the shooting, and the killers had instead been aiming to kill Khalid Samanter, the father of the child whose birthday party was being thrown at the Peterhouse Community Centre.
As reported in the Standard, eleven days prior to the fatal shooting, Khalid’s innocent neighbour was shot in a case of mistaken identity as he sat in his car.
Marcia Rowe, Kacey’s mother, said in an impact statement read to the Old Bailey on Monday (13th January): “This unexplained callous murder has taken away Kacey’s dreams and aspirations, at the age of just 25 when he had his whole life ahead of him.
“There are so many emotions I have in regards to the defendants, I feel anger, hurt and pain and the whole case saddened me.
“I feel relief that some justice will be served and my son’s killers have been caught.
“A part of me feels sorrow for the pain that they, their families and their children will now go through and I hope that each of them will show remorse and regret for what they have done.”
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 has lost their loved one and for this my thoughts remain with Kacey’s family and friends at this difficult time.”
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