Group of men convicted of murdering two people in Archway

A group of five men, who killed two people they mistook for rival gang members in Archway have been convicted of murder.

Lorik Lupqi, 21 (22.09.2003) of St John’s Way, N19, Abel Chunda, 29 (03.01.1996) of Caldy Walk, N1, Jason Furtado, 28 (18.12.1996) of Halton Road, N1, Eden Clark, 29 (28.01.94), of Huddleston Road N7 and Xavier Poponne, 21 (06.11.2002) of Halton Road, Islington, N1 appeared at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, 23 July.

Following a 15-week trial, all men were all convicted of murdering 15-year-old Leonardo Reid and 23-year-old Klevi Shekaj and attempting to murder another man.

Detective Inspector Jim Barry of Specialist Crime North said “These violent men went into this estate with the intention of killing anyone they could, under the false impression that those there were rival gang members. This was a senseless, violent act which has shattered the lives of so many, especially Leonardo and Klevi’s loved ones.”

On Thursday, 29 June 2023, there had been a large gathering on the Elthorne estate to film a music video.

Lorik Lupqi, a gang member from Islington saw this gathering at around 8:30pm and took it as an opportunity to hurt who he thought were gang opponents. He messaged his girlfriend stating that “opps were outside.” She advised him to remain inside, but Lupqi decided to contact his close friend and gang associate Jason Furtado.

They formed a plan and recruited three gang members to travel to the Elthorne estate. By the time they arrived two hours later, the filming had concluded, and most people had left, but some local children and teenagers remained in the area.

The group then fatally stabbed 15-year-old Leonardo Reid, who sadly died at the scene and 23-year-old Klevi Shekaj who died in hospital. They also stabbed another man, who was taken to hospital.

A double murder and attempted murder investigation was launched with extensive enquiries taking place.

The enquiries carried out by Met Police’s Specialist Crime Command included reviewing CCTV, forensic examinations and analysis of phone data. This data showed that there were 50 short phone calls between this group in the two hours before the murders. After the attack, the four went to Abel Chunda’s house and called organiser Furtado.

They were identified as key suspects and work began to bring them into custody.

Chuna and Furtado were arrested on 3 July with Clarke travelling to the Suffolk coast and changing his appearance in an attempt to evade arrest. Met Officers quickly located him and arrested him on 12 July.

One suspect, Lupqi illegally travelled to Kosovo days after the murders. He had sent messages to his girlfriend, telling her not to wait for him. Met officers worked closely with the Kosovan authorities, the National Crime Agency and the Crown Prosecution Service to extradite him back to the UK and arrest him at Luton Airport on 12 November 2024.

Following Poponne’s arrest in November 2023, damning lyrics were found in a drill song written the day after the murders. These lyrics glorified the murders and made references to elements of the attack which could only be known to those involved. In these lyrics, he also referenced how Leonardo and Klevi were not involved in gang criminality. Shortly after the murders, he also changed his social media name to ‘X3’ referencing the number of people he had stabbed.

During the trial, the group refused to admit responsibility with some stating that they were in the area to deal drugs but not involved in the murders.

They all appeared at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, 23 July where they were all convicted of two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. They will appear at the same court on Thursday, 25 September and Friday, 26 September for sentencing.

Detective Inspector Jim Barry added: “Our team have remained focused on getting justice for those affected by this violent and unnecessary attack.

“This dangerous group of men will now spend a long time behind bars but the effect of what they did will be felt by the victim’s shattered families for longer.

“I thank the members of the public who tried to help and save the lives of those injured and have assisted our team with enquiries.

“We will continue to tackle violent offenders and ensure that justice is bought for the safety of our communities.”