Former abattoir workers found guilty of double Bristol murder
Ionut-Valentin Boboc and Iacob-Bebe Chers were accused of brutally attacking two men in Easton
Last updated 7th Dec 2022
Two men, accused of killing another two men in Easton and then mutilating their bodies, have been found guilty of murder.
A jury returned their verdicts today (December 7) after a trial lasting almost a month, at Bristol Crown Court.
Ionut-Valentin Boboc (22) and Iacob-Bebe Chers (46), both from Hillfields and both former workers at an abattoir, were charged with fatally stabbing Denzil McKenzie and Fahad Hossain Pramanik at a house in Bristol, on September 11 last year.
It was alleged the pair planned to kill McKenzie (56), who was a former work mate of Boboc and tricked their way into his home before the attack, while Pramanik (27) who was visiting McKenzie, was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Boboc had previously admitted the murder of McKenzie but denied murdering Pramanik, while Chers denied both charges.
During the trial the court heard McKenzie had been lending money to Boboc but wanted sexual favours in return.
It was alleged Boboc had accepted this arrangement but had set several boundaries and had warned McKenzie that he would be killed if he went too far.
Once the victims were discovered it was found McKenzie had been stabbed 23 times, while the bodies of both he and Pramanik had been left in a kind of gruesome display in the home's sitting room, with Pramanik's body disembowelled.
Senior Investigating Officer DCI Mark Almond described the murders as "sadistic, senseless and cruel".
DCI Almond said: “This has been a highly distressing investigation, especially for the families of Denzil and Fahad, who’ve had to endure the terrible ordeal of hearing how their loved ones were murdered.
"Family liaison officers have been supporting them throughout and our thoughts are with them as they continue to come to terms with their loss.
“The offences carried out by these defendants were sadistic, senseless and cruel.
"They’ve shown no remorse for their actions and have put the families of the victims through further torment as a result.
“While we may never know why these defendants chose to murder two innocent men, it remains abundantly clear they both have a dangerous propensity for violence and cruelty, and our communities are a safer place with them behind bars.”
During the investigation, detectives collated hundreds of hours of CCTV and visual material, including footage showing the two men walking to and from the house in Wood Street on the night of the murders.
On leaving the house they were seen carrying audio equipment, jewellery and electronics, which they’d stolen from inside.
Further footage showed the two men visiting Coombe Brook nature reserve, where it was later discovered they had discarded items, while video evidence from a car wash where Chers worked, showed him putting items in a bin and cleaning his car on the morning after the murders.
The pair will be sentenced on December 21.