Tenacious investigation by Met detectives following shooting results in four men sentenced

Following a tenacious investigation by Met detectives, four men have been jailed for the murder of Kacey Boothe in Walthamstow.

Ka’mani Brightly-Donaldson, Kammar Henry-Richards, Joao Pateco-te and Jeffrey Gyimah were found guilty at the Old Bailey on Monday, 11 December and Tuesday, 12 December 2023 following a trial lasting ten weeks.

They were also convicted of conspiracy to murder another man and conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life.

A sentencing hearing held at the Old Bailey on Tuesday 14 January 2025 saw the four sentenced.

Ka’mani Brightly-Donaldson, 25, (10.11.99), of High Street, Ponders End was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 38 years

Kammar Henry-Richards, 26, (13.05.98), of Cambrian Road, E10 and Joao Pateco-te, 28, (06.10.96), of Chelmer Road, Hackney were handed a life sentences of a minimum of 37 years. Jeffrey Gyimah, 23, (12.12.01), of Queensbridge Road, Hackney was a handed a life sentence of a minimum of 35 years.

A fifth man, Roody Thomas, 27, (16.09.97), of Berger Road, E9 was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment after admitting possession of a firearm.

Kacey, 25, was shot dead in Forest Rise on 13 August 2022 as he left a children's birthday party at the Peterhouse Community Centre.

Officers were called at around 21:20hrs and arrived to find Kacey had already been taken to hospital. Despite the efforts of medical staff, he later died.

Homicide detectives from the Specialist Crime Command began an investigation which involved trawling hours of CCTV footage to identify the suspects.

It was through this extensive work and witness accounts that detectives identified the shooter had left the scene in a stolen car.

These enquiries resulted in warrants being executed at addresses in north London with a total of six arrests being made.

Officers discovered that Kacey and the defendants were linked to rival gangs in north London and had already been involved in a number of violent incidents. After the shooting, one of the defendants, Henry-Richards wrote drill music lyrics boasting about the attack.

However, it is believed that Kacey was not the intended target of the shooting, and the killers had instead been aiming to kill another man.

Detective Chief Inspector Larry Smith, whose team carried out the investigation, said:

“I am pleased to see these men held responsible for their actions and hope today’s long sentences serve as a warning to others who involve themselves in gang-related violence.

“I would like to commend my team for their tenacious and dedicated investigation, trawling through hours of CCTV, analysing mobile phones and speaking with a number of witnesses to piece together the exact movements of these individuals prior to this deadly attack.

“Ultimately, a family have lost their loved one and for this my thoughts remain with Kacey’s family and friends at this difficult time.”