Five men jailed for life after chasing and stabbing 21-year-old to death in south London

Five men have been jailed for a combined total of 107 years after chasing a man through south London and stabbing him to death.

Giovanny Rendon Bedoya, 21, died in April last year, in what police have described as a "vicious and brutal attack".

Police were called a knife fight in Kennington, south east London, at 9.16pm on 14 April 2024.

When officers arrived they found Mr Bedoya behind a block of flats with multiple stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 10.07pm.

The five men, aged between 19 and 22, were found guilty of murder last month after an 11-week trial at the Old Bailey.

Joseph Jimenez and Christian Batista Gonzalez, both 22, were sentenced to life in prison with minimum terms of 22 years.

Angel Gonzalez Angulo, 19, Bryan Villada Hernandez, 20, and Zozoro Mohamed Olivier Boizo, 21, were jailed for life, both with minimum terms of 21 years.

CCTV footage linked the group to the attack as well as to a nearby address being used as a squat.

In the aftermath of the murder, Jimenez fled the capital and was arrested just over a year after the killing around 70 miles away in Chichester, West Sussex.

Gonzalez fled the UK and was arrested near Barcelona on 19 May 2025, before being extradited back to the UK.

Angulo was then arrested two days after Jimenez and Boizo was arrested on 2 May 2025.

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Hernandez was arrested at the scene and forensic examinations later revealed Mr Bedoya's blood on his clothes, while messages about destroying evidence were on his phone.

CCTV captured Angulo changing clothes, after he and Boizo took a taxi to a friend's home after the attack.

In a statement to the court, Mr Bedoya's mother said the group "took away [my son's life in the most brutal of ways".

She told the hearing on Wednesday: "I thank God and the whole police team who have put their heart and soul in the case of my son.

"I am grateful for all of the support from my liaison officer. My life will not be long enough for me to be able to thank you."

Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn, who led the Met's investigation, said: "Today's sentences show that those who commit vicious and brutal attacks will face significant, life-altering consequences.

"The group acted together during a sustained and extremely violent attack, chasing and killing Giovanny, showing brutality and reckless violence."

(c) Sky News 2026: Five men jailed for life after chasing and stabbing 21-year-old to death in south London