Man convicted of murder after human remains found in London and Bristol

Following a complex and harrowing Met Police investigation, a man who took suitcases containing the body parts of two men from west London to Bristol has been found guilty of murder.

Yostin Andres Mosquera, 35 (08.03.90) of Scotts Road, Shepherd's Bush Green, was convicted by a jury of two counts of murder at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday, 21 July.

Paul Longworth, aged 71, and Albert Alfonso, aged 62, were brutally murdered at their flat in Shepherd’s Bush on Monday, 8 July last year.

Detective Chief Inspector Ollie Stride, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command who led this investigation, said:

“This has been one of the most harrowing murders my team have ever investigated, a case that will stay with many of us for a long time.

“Paul and Albert were murdered in the most brutal and callous of ways in their own home.

“The investigation has been complex and intense and we worked tirelessly to build a catalogue of evidence which would ensure we brought Mosquera to justice.

“The team have consumed hundreds hours of footage, including some of the utmost disturbing and graphic nature. Those images will stay with all of us for a very long time.

“We are grateful to all those who helped us build this investigation, including Avon and Somerset Police, who commenced the investigation and arrested Mosquera.

"As well as the many witnesses who provided detailed accounts of events which must have been extremely hard to share.

"We have also worked closely with the LGBT+ Independent Advisory Group and I am grateful for their support and the advice they have provided as they helped monitor the investigation.

“Paul and Albert had known one another for decades. They were in a loving, committed relationship and welcomed Mosquera into their home. They did not deserve to have their lives taken away from them in the most traumatising of circumstances.

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with Paul and Albert’s family and loved ones and all who knew them, as they continue to process the trauma of what happened.”

Gathering and examining evidence

Mosquera booked a van with a driver, and two days after the murders, Mosquera travelled with two suitcases containing body parts to the Mall Pub near the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol.

He caught a taxi the rest of the way to the bridge and caught the attention of local residents, asking him if he needed help with what would be confirmed as enormously heavy cases, with a red substance leaking out, which Mosquera claimed was oil. One witness filmed Mosquera acting suspiciously before Mosquera attempted to knock the phone out of his hand and ran away.

The police were alerted to his suspicious behaviour and a murder investigation was launched after officers discovered the body parts inside the cases.

An address label left on one of the cases led police back to Scotts Road, and on Wednesday, 10 July, Met officers would find crucial evidence in a search of the property, including the decapitated heads of both men in a chest freezer in a hallway of the flat. The murder weapons were found close by.

Homicide detectives built a case with an abundance of evidence to support the motive that Mosquera murdered both men to obtain their property and their money.

Detectives would discover Mosquera had researched a freezer online on several occasions, including the one that he later ordered to be delivered to the address.

Mosquera, who was a Columbian national, had also conducted searches online in Spanish, on topics such as how long it would take for a body to decompose and where on the head would be a fatal blow.

Examinations of Mosquera’s laptop revealed that in the weeks before the murders he was browsing the internet in an effort to find out the value of the Shepherd’s Bush property, and he accessed information about Paul's and Albert’s finances.

He had also attempted to open a bank account using the Scotts Road address. Immediately after the murders, he accessed a spreadsheet which contained their online banking passwords, and attempted to login to a number of their online bank accounts. He unsuccessfully attempted to send £4,000 to his account in Columbia.

The murders

Mosquera had got to know both men, who were in a civil partnership, over a number of years, and had been staying with them at their flat for the month prior to their murders. It was a property where the two men had lived happily for many years together.

Mosquera was involved in a consensual sexual relationship with Albert, one which Paul was aware of and lovingly accepted. The court heard Albert simply had no reason to kill his partner, Paul, despite Mosquera’s defence that the two of them were in a controlling and coercive relationship.

It was while Albert was at work that Mosquera killed Paul. A neighbour recalls speaking to Paul that morning from one of the windows. This was the last sighting of him alive. Detectives trawled hours of footage from a CCTV camera, located opposite the entrance to the Scotts Road flat, which captured Mosquera standing at the window of the flat and drawing the curtains at around 12:30hrs. It was then that he is believed to have killed Paul.

The post-mortem revealed Paul had died from multiple severe blunt force traumas to the head with a hammer, with injuries on his hands suggesting he’d try to defend himself. Mosquera hid the body in a divan storage space under the bed in Paul’s room and waited for Albert to come home.

Albert arrived home early evening. The killing was captured on cameras which had been set up in Albert's bedroom to record a sex session between him and Mosquera. The footage showed Mosquera performing sex acts on Albert in his bedroom, before repeatedly stabbing him and cutting his throat.

Mosquera’s arrest and plea

Mosquera was arrested in Bristol in the early hours of Saturday, 13 July 2024. He was charged with two counts of murder two days later.

Although he had admitted killing Albert, he denied the offence of murder, admitting only the lesser offence of manslaughter following what he called, a loss of self-control. He also denied murdering Paul, claiming his long-term partner, Albert, had killed him instead.

Mosquera will be sentenced at the same court in October.

Detective Inspector Neil Meade, of Avon and Somerset Police's Major Crime Investigation Team, said:

"These crimes were truly horrific and our thoughts are with the families and friends of Albert and Paul.

"Yostin Mosquera's actions have had a significant impact on our communities in Avon and Somerset and I'm very grateful for the support we received at the time of the incident and have received since. It was an extremely fast-moving and complex investigation and their understanding, particularly in those early days, was hugely appreciated.

"Mosquera had no connection to Bristol and during the trial we've heard he chose to travel here in an attempt to dispose of Albert and Paul's remains and hide his despicable crimes.

"A large number of police officers and members of staff were involved in our investigation and they deserve massive credit, along with colleagues at the Metropolitan Police, in helping ensure he could be brought to justice.

"I know how concerning this incident was - and still is - for our LGBT communities and that some of the details we've heard over the course of the trial will have been deeply distressing. We remain in close contact with community leaders and our partners and are ready to provide any support we can."

For help and advice

If you’ve been affected by this case, please contact Samaritans here or Mind's support line on 0300 102 1234.

If you're looking for advice or specialist support for a particular issue, these organisations may be able to help.

For anyone in the LGBT+ community affected by this incident, please visit www.galop.org.ukfor information and support provided by the LGBT+ charity Galop.