After being convicted guilty of murdering ex-England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips’ nephew under the joint enterprise statute, two additional men and a teenage boy now face life in prison.
Rhamero West, a nephew of ex-England and Manchester City star footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips, died on September 9 last year after being knifed many times in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester.
Ryan Cashin, 19, was found guilty of murder at Manchester Crown Court last week after stabbing Rhamero in the legs on Norton Street.
Giovanni Lawrence, 20, and a 17-year-old kid, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, have now been found guilty of murder under joint enterprise law by a jury.
Prosecutors did not say that the two attacked Rhamero, but alleged that the 17-year-old had rushed at him with a knife before the death, and that Lawrence followed him in a stolen BMW.
Those who are deemed to have ‘assisted or encouraged’ an offence might be prosecuted under joint enterprise law.
Xavaiour Wynter, 18, was found not guilty and released from the dock after allegedly driving a second stolen BMW in pursuit of Rhamero.
After a month-long trial at Manchester Crown Court, the verdicts were announced.
On Friday, Cashin was found guilty, and yesterday afternoon, jurors found Lawrence and the 17-year-old boy guilty by a majority verdict.
As the verdicts were revealed, there were dramatic moments in the public gallery.
Prosecutors have yet to determine the motivation for the gruesome killing, although Rhamero was constantly pursued before being murdered, according to prosecutors.
When Rhamero was seen by his assailants on Princess Parkway at around 5.45pm on September 9 last year, he was driving another stolen BMW and was with companions.
While Rhamero’s car was stuck in traffic, the 17-year-old defendant got out of one of the two trailing BMWs and began stabbing the car with a ‘big knife.’ The helpless victim attempted to flee by driving too quickly and colliding with another vehicle before ramming into a tree.
He and his companions exited the wrecked vehicle and fled. According to the jury, the 17-year-old defendant chased Rhamero with a knife in his hand.
Cashin, of Hulme’s Nancy Street, joined the chase and seized the weapon from the 17-year-old before stabbing Rhamero in the legs in a Norton Street front yard.
As a neighbor screamed at him to stop, the killer is said to have said “arr, got you!” That evening, Rhamero died in the hospital.
Prosecutors said Lawrence and Mr Wynter were the drivers of two stolen BMWs that chased Rhamero through the streets, citing cell phone data and DNA evidence.
They stated that hours after the killing, the four defendants reassembled in a taxi.
The 17-year-old admitted pursuing Rhamero during trial, but said he only intended to’scare’ him.
After watching Rhamero drive at a drug dealer ‘as if he was going to run him over,’ the kid claimed he and others followed him.
‘I wasn’t happy about what I had just witnessed, and I wanted to speak to him about it,’ the 17-year-old told jurors.
Mr. Wynter, of no fixed address, and Lawrence, of Moston, did not testify throughout the trial.
Next month, Cashin, Lawrence, and the 17-year-old kid will be sentenced.
‘We are all devastated and are now left with an empty hole in our hearts,’ Rhamero’s family said after his death.
‘Mero was a lovely soul who got along with everyone he encountered. He will be sorely missed. Lots of love, son; we will always adore you – mom, dad, Remi, and your nephew Caerus.
‘We’ll make sure he never forgets about you.’ Everyone in the family wishes you were still here right now. Until we meet again, sweet son, sleep tight. ‘We will always love you.’