A London mother who has lost three of her seven sons to violent crime has finally got some justice after three men were convicted of murdering David Burke-Monerville, 38, on 19 June 2019.
On Monday, 7 December, Nathan Harewood, 29, Khalil Rehman, 27, and Francis Appiagyei, 29, were all found guilty of murdering David during a violent burglary at a flat in Barnet, north London.
The trio, who are believed to have been looking for money or drugs, were also convicted of aggravated burglary. They all face life sentences.
The Old Bailey was told the men attacked David and injured two of his brothers, Jonathan and Taiye.
After David was killed, his parents John and Linda Burke-Monerville told the Guardian the loss of three of their seven children was like "a terrible dream" and said: "On this third occasion, we need to get justice for our lost sons."
Killers Armed With Knives and Hammer
Harewood, Rehman and Appiagyei, armed with two knives and a hammer, burst into the flat, ransacked it and stole David’s laptop.
David called the police while his brothers Jonathan and Taiye came to help.
Harewood, Rehman and Appiageyi emerged from the flat and attacked the brothers, stabbing David five times. Taiye was stabbed in the arm and Jonathan in the leg but both survived.
After the trio were convicted Mrs Burke-Monerville said: “Our family has struggled to comprehend how we could lose David in such horrific circumstances and this has devastated all of us. I am truly broken. A mother should not bury her son and I am suffering in ways that words cannot describe.”
Trevor Monerville, was stabbed to death in a street robbery in 1994, aged 26. Nobody has ever been charged with the crime.
Tragedy Follows the Brothers
Seven years earlier Trevor was reportedly beaten up by police at the notorious Stoke Newington police station.
In February 2013 Joseph Burke-Monerville, 19, was shot in the head as he sat in a car in Clapton, east London, with Jonathan and David.
Three men were charged with murder but the charges were dropped on the eve of their trial in May 2015.
Defence lawyers said the case was “bound to fail” - with one branding the prosecution a disgrace - after it was revealed it relied on the evidence of a single gang member.
Mr Burke-Monerville was ironically studying Crime Scene and Forensic Investigation at London Metropolitan University.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Partridge said: “I would like to offer my sincere condolences to David’s family who have suffered so much heartache. While nothing will bring David back, I hope there is some small solace in the fact that those responsible for his death have now been held to account.”