Man guilty of murder after stabbing victim in broad daylight in Brixton

A man has been found guilty of murder after detectives trawled through hours of CCTV and forensically linked him to the blood trail at the scene.

Kyiza Sandiford, 24, (19.9.00), of Merton, was found guilty of the murder of 22-year-old Keelen Wong following a trial at the Old Bailey on Thursday, 17 October.

Detective Inspector Kevin Martin, from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: "Today our thoughts are with the Keelen’s family and friends as his attacker was held to account for his murder.

"While nothing can truly assuage the pain of their loss, I hope today’s conviction allows them to hold on to his memory knowing his killer has been brought to justice.

“This awful attack took place in broad daylight, in front of people simply going about their business. An innocent young man lost his life to a large knife and this deeply shocked the community at the time.

“The brutal attack on Keelen was a terrible act of senseless violence. The investigation team and other specialist officers worked tirelessly to secure this conviction, trawling through hours of CCTV in order to follow the defendant’s footsteps.

“Today shows that the Met remains deeply committed to pursuing and prosecuting those who are willing to commit acts of violence on the streets of London. “

Police were called at 16:44hrs on Tuesday, 3 October 2023 to reports of a stabbing at Coldharbour Lane, Brixton.

Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and Keelen was found with a knife injury. Despite the best efforts of the emergency services, he died at the scene.

Extensive CCTV trawls were carried out to locate Sandiford, who had injured himself with his own blade, causing a blood trail at the scene.

Following Sandiford's self-admission to hospital, police were able to link the two together.

When questioned about his injuries, Sandiford stated that it was from punching a window, but police forensically linked his blood to the trail at the scene. The blood was then also linked to a recovered sheath at the crime scene.

Following this discovery, Sandiford was arrested the day after the murder on Wednesday, 4 October 2023 and he was subsequently charged.

Two teenage defendants were both found not guilty of the murder but one, aged 16, was found guilty of possession of an offensive weapon.

The teenager and Sandiford will be sentenced at the same court on Friday, 22 November.