A man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of 16-year-old Camron Smith, who was brutally killed in front of his mother in their Shrublands home in July 2021.
Murdered: Camron Smith
Six others have already been jailed for their parts in the killing. At the Old Bailey last November for the trial of one of them, the jury was told that a Thornton Heath drugs gang went out “hunting as a pack”, armed with weapons including a zombie knife, ultimately kicking down the door of a house on Bracken Avenue and pursuing the terrified teenager into a bedroom.
The Metropolitan Police said today that a 26-year-old man was arrested in Croydon on Friday and remains in custody.
“This latest arrest demonstrates our commitment to this investigation, almost five years after Camron’s death,” said Detective Chief Inspector Samantha Townsend.
Police previously said that they were still seeking two further suspects in relation to the case.
James Olanipekun, from Croydon, was jailed for eight years for manslaughter and robbery following a trial in February 2023. Another boy, from Coulsdon, aged 16 at the time of his trial, was jailed for 18 months for robbery following a trial in July 2022.
Romain La Pierre and Jordan Tcheuko were tried at the Old Bailey in October 2023, where they were found guilty.
La Pierre was described by the judge at his trial as “a brutal and callous killer”, as he jailed him for life with a minimum of 28 years’ imprisonment for murder and robbery.
LaPierre had previous convictions for carrying knives, including a Samurai sword, machete and hunting knife. The court was told it was La Pierre who used the zombie knife, plunging it into his victim’s stomach.
Tcheuko was sentenced to 14 years in prison for manslaughter.
Another of the same gang of drug-dealers, Sako Amoniba-Burnley, from Norbury, was found guilty of robbery and jailed for seven years.
Last November, Romario Gordon was sentenced to 13 years in prison for his part in the killing. Gordon had fled the country in the aftermath of the killing, and spent two years in The Gambia, but was arrested on his return to Britain.
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