Two men begin life sentences for murder in Colchester
They stabbed someone to death in the town last year.
Two men have been given life sentences for the murder of a man in Colchester.
Phoenix Lee and Sheldon McKay were caught after CCTV was found to show the pair forcing open the door of a property where the victim was fatally attacked.
Lee and McKay denied their involvement throughout the trial, but were convicted at Chelmsford Crown Court on the 7th September.
Alinjavwa Siwale, who was 22, was found injured at an address on Affleck Road shortly after 12.15am on Friday 11th December.
He was pronounced dead at the scene having suffered multiple stab wounds.
A second man at the address had also been stabbed and he jumped over a neighbouring fence to get help - he was taken to hospital for treatment.
Police say when they arrived on the scene it was clear the front door had been pushed open, and officers began searching the Greenstead area.
Just after 3am, a call was received from a house in Teal Close, reporting someone who had been knocking at the back door for several hours.
An officer from the Dog Unit was first on scene, and he detained 25 year-old Sheldon McKay in the garden of the property, his bloody clothes were seized and he was arrested on suspicion of murder.
McKay was later forensically linked via his clothing to the DNA of Alinjavwa.
Further enquiries with McKay’s associates led to the arrest of 20-year-old Phoenix Lee.
Both men, of no fixed address, were charged with murder and with committing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Senior Investigating Officer Julie Gowen, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “Lee and McKay have been cowardly throughout this investigation and have constantly denied their involvement.
“Alinjavwa’s family were denied the truth about what happened on the night of his murder, but the court have decided upon their parts in his death and sentenced them accordingly.
“Throughout the investigation my team have worked tirelessly, carefully piecing together the movements of those responsible for this horrendous crime and ensuring early arrests were made.
“These dangerous individuals will now spend a significant amount of time in prison making Essex a safer place.
“Shockingly, Alinjavwa was killed in his own home, somewhere he should have been safe from harm.
“I hope today’s outcome will bring Alinjavwa’s family some justice, and will give them some peace to allow them to move forward with their lives.”
Lee will serve a minimum of 24 years and McKay a minimum of 23 years.