Man convicted of murder and GBH with intent in High Wycombe
Tyrell James, aged 24, of Hawksmoor Close, High Wycombe, was convicted by a unanimous jury verdict of murder following a trial at Reading Crown Court
A man has today (27/3) been found guilty of the brutal murder of Karl Stanislaus in High Wycombe in September last year and grievous bodily harm of another man in December 2022.
Tyrell James, aged 24, of Hawksmoor Close, High Wycombe, was convicted by a unanimous jury verdict of murder following a trial at Reading Crown Court, which lasted 11 days.
Following his conviction for this, James also pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon, namely a kitchen knife, following a stabbing of a separate victim on 27 December 2022.
Mr Stanislaus was subjected to a ferocious knife attack at around 9.30pm on 5 September 2023.
The 44-year-old received a significant number of wounds in the attack, before being left for dead under a disused railway bridge on the outskirts of the town. He was discovered by a member of the public.
He had been stabbed 38 times, with a total of 56 knife wounds about his head, neck, torso, upper limbs and right leg.
James had been in contact with Mr Stanislaus just prior to his death and was placed at the scene by phone and CCTV evidence.
He was arrested on 9 September and was charged with murder on 12 September.
Witnesses heard Mr Stanislaus screaming and begging for his life as James launched his frenzied assault. The member of the public who discovered his body at just before 9.50pm and tried to save Mr Stanislaus’s life, administering CPR.
Sadly, Mr Stanislaus was pronounced dead at the scene by ambulance crew.
His cause of death was confirmed as catastrophic blood loss as a result of stabbing.
Several months earlier, James stabbed another man, aged in his thirties, in Walton Drive, High Wycombe.
The victim of this attack received several knife wounds, but thankfully survived his injuries.
James originally pleaded not guilty to this offence, but changed his plea today (27/3) after the guilty verdict for murder of Mr Stanislaus.
Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Brangwin, of Thames Valley Police’s Major Crime Unit, said: “Tyrell James is an extremely violent individual who has killed an innocent man in Mr Stanislaus and inflicted serious knife injuries to another victim some months earlier.
“In respect of Mr Stanislaus’s murder, our investigation linked James to the scene of this vicious attack and he was arrested on 9 September.
“Throughout his police interviews he answered no comment to all questions put to him but provided a written statement in which he denied any involvement in the attack. However, after a meticulous investigation, James accepted he had little choice but to admit killing Mr Stanislaus. He admitted causing the injuries but claimed they were in self-defence.”
“The frenzied and ferocious nature of this attack on Mr Stanislaus is without a doubt one of the worst attacks I have ever seen, and there can be little doubt that James intended to kill him that night. The injuries sustained by Mr Stanislaus were unsurvivable.”
“It was a shocking attack, and I am grateful to the jury for their deliberations and for finding this dangerous man guilty of this offence.”
“I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute and to thank the family of Mr Stanislaus.
“They have had to endure several months of anguish while we investigated this murder.
“I am humbled by their patience and dignity throughout this process.
“No family should have to go through what they have been through, and I hope that now we have brought Mr Stanislaus’s killer to justice, this will offer them at least some comfort in the knowledge that he will be behind bars for many years to come.
“Sadly, James chose a course of action that night which was violent in the extreme. An innocent man has lost his life to this evil act, and he will be in prison for many years to come.”