Murderers Keahn Williams and Kai Nelson-Palmer plotted on Snapchat before their ‘pre-meditated, callous act’
Murder victim: Lucas Sutton
Two men have been found guilty of the 2023 Croydon murder of Lucas Sutton.
The Metropolitan Police have described Keahn Williams and Kai Nelson-Palmer as “former friends” of Sutton. Both were in their teens at the time of the killing.
The trial and sentencing of Williams and Nelson-Palmer took place last year – both had been arrested within days of the deadly knife attack – but reporting of the court proceedings was delayed while a third man was on trial.
At the Old Bailey on Wednesday this week, a 19-year-old man was acquitted of the murder.
Around 7.45pm on the evening of May 23, 2023, Sutton, who was 22, was stabbed during “an altercation in Mayo Road involving a number of black males who were later seen running away from the area”, according to the Met at the time.
Sutton sought refuge and help in the nearby Pawsons Arms after the attack. The air ambulance was called in, but despite receiving treatment from paramedics, Sutton was pronounced dead in hospital a short time later.
Lucas Sutton was one of 11 homicides in Croydon during 2023.
Guilty: Keahn Williams
Keahn Williams, 20, of Coulsdon, was found guilty of the murder of Lucas Sutton at the Old Bailey on April 26 last year.
Kai Nelson-Palmer, 18, of Croydon, was also found guilty of the murder on April 30 last year.
At Southwark Crown Court in August last year, the two men were sentenced to life imprisonment. Williams will serve a minimum term of 23 years and Nelson-Palmer a minimum term of 16 years.
The convictions and sentences are being reported now following the lifting of reporting restrictions. During the trials, the court heard how Sutton had been lured to an address in Croydon and fatally stabbed as he walked back from a local shop.
At around 7pm on a Tuesday evening in May, Sutton had walked to a flat in Princess Road, Croydon. At the address he was joined by Williams and Nelson-Palmer.
Guilty: Kai Nelson-Palmer
“Whether Lucas knew the others were going to be there is not clear, but he left the flat with Williams and Nelson-Palmer to walk to a shop to buy drinks,” according to the police.
Williams and Nelson-Palmer had been exchanging Snapchat messages in the days leading up to the meeting, with the intention of attacking him. As they returned from shop, Williams produced a knife and stabbed Sutton.
He dropped the drinks he was holding and ran, pursued by Williams and Nelson-Palmer. Williams caught up with him as he ran along Mayo Road and stabbed him again before both the assailants fled. Sutton burst into the Pawsons Arms pub, pleading for help before he collapsed on the floor.
Both attackers fled back to the address where they had originally met. Williams left the scene in a taxi, which was captured on the cab driver’s own in-car video (as shown below).
Through CCTV analysis, detectives began to build a picture of the events that had taken place. This showed Williams wearing a distinctive balaclava as he chased Lucas down the street. A similar item of clothing was later recovered at an address linked to him. Detectives established some of the events that had taken place in the weeks leading up to the attack.
Lucas’s family and friends spoke about how he had seemed withdrawn and afraid – he had confided that he had upset people and feared for his safety.
Williams and Nelson-Palmer were arrested in the week following the murder.
Analysis of Nelson-Palmer’s phone revealed the plotting that had taken place.
Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, led the investigation: “The evidence gathered and presented to the jury built up a clear picture of a plot to lure Lucas to an address in Croydon, act as if nothing was wrong, and then violently attack him.
“Lucas and one of the defendants had been friends but in the minds of the group, Lucas had crossed them by attempting to get rid of a firearm he had been holding on to. This perceived betrayal was the motivation for this deadly attack.
“It is clear in the weeks leading up to the murder that Lucas realised he was in danger but he did not suspect it was from those he thought of as his friends.
“This was a pre-meditated, callous act that has left Lucas’s family and friends utterly devastated. While those responsible have been held to account for their actions, I know this will do little to ease the unbearable pain Lucas’s loved ones continue to endure.”
In a joint statement, Sutton’s family said: “The murder of Lucas has left a large hole in our lives which can never be filled.
“Lucas wasn’t perfect, he made mistakes but he was ours. He had a bright future ahead of him, but it has been taken away from him. They have not only taken away a nephew but a son, a grandson, a brother, a cousin, a father, a partner, a friend and so much more. We sit at home in the evening almost expecting him to come in with a smile on his face, but he never does.
“He leaves behind his young son who will have to grow up without his best friend and father. It breaks our heart that he will never see his Dad again, we sometimes see him watching his friends playing with their dads, and we just think he will never have that.”
Read more: Croydon in 2023: London’s borough with most murder victims
Read more: ‘Our failure can be read on the headstones of dead youth’
- Inside Croydon has moved to Bluesky. Click here to join us there for latest updates and insights
Check out our archive of podcasts on Spotify, including our monthly news discussion panel show thingy, the Croydon Insider, and The Andrew Fisher Interview
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
As featured on Google News Showcase
- Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Our comments policy can be read by clicking here
Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network
