Three men found guilty of murder following lengthy investigation

Three men have been convicted of the murder of Gregory Catillo Volquez following an investigation which spanned the continent.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime Unit were industrious in piecing together the circumstances of the incident – analysing hours of CCTV footage and gathering forensic evidence to locate, extradite and arrest the defendants.

All of this led to guilty verdicts at Southwark Crown Court today, Wednesday, 20 May, following an eight-week trial.

Benito Ramirez Kones, 20, and 22-year-old Carlos Akum Metumbe, of Spain, were convicted of murder alongside Italian national, Luiggi Perelli Santana, 22.

Gregory, who was only 36, was tragically pronounced dead in the middle of a north London street around 05:00hrs on Monday, 13 January 2025. Gregory had been out with his friends in south London before they travelled north, where he was attacked in Tiverton Road, Haringey.

The investigation found that Gregory knew the three men who carried out the violent attack.

Of the three, Kones was detained five days after the attack in Swansea. Kones’ trainers, which were seen on CCTV, were seized upon arrest and forensic evidence confirmed they were covered in traces of Gregory’s blood.

While two of the three killers, Metumbe and Santana, did succeed in leaving the country, the pair were traced to Spain and were respectively extradited by Met officers in August and October 2025.

Both Metumbe and Santana were captured on CCTV reigning blows on Gregory with a machete and crutch.

Gregory’s post-mortem examination stated that he had 22 stab wounds - many of which were caused by a long knife - as well as bruises that were caused by a blunt object. Forensic evidence supported the footage and Santana’s bloody fingerprints were identified on both the crutch and large knife.

Detective Inspector Jim Barry, who led the investigation, said: “Our skilled team of officers showed huge tenacity to build a solid case with undisputable forensic evidence which resulted in three violent men being taken off our streets.

“It’s this hard work that is enabling the force to secure a positive outcome from 95 per cent of our murder investigations. I hope that this result offers a morsel of justice and closure of Gregory’s family, who have been left without a much-loved dad, brother and son.”

The three men and their date of birth and address are listed below. They will be sentenced at the same court on Friday, 10 July.

Benito Ramirez Kones, 20 (27.06.2005) of De Beauvoir Estate, Hackney.
Carlos Akum Metumbe, 22 (05.03.2004) of Lower Clapton Road, Hackney
Luiggi Perelli Santana, 22 (31.03.2004) of Brixton Hill, Lambeth.

A fourth man, 21-year-old Gabriel Pineda Gonzales was found not guilty.