The sister of a beloved family man stabbed to death in a horrific case of mistaken identity has confronted his killers in court, describing the lifelong trauma inflicted on her family.
A Tragic and Fatal Mistake
Devon Brown, 30, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 26 years at the Old Bailey on Monday, 22 December 2025. He murdered 46-year-old Okechukwu Iweha with a machete in North London on 7 April last year. The court heard Brown was motivated by a desire for revenge against a man he believed had stolen his bicycle and £10,000 in cash, but he was tragically mistaken in believing Mr Iweha was that man.
Brown, of Northumberland Park in Tottenham, had hidden a large machete in a sheath inside his clothes. After spotting Mr Iweha cycling a bike he wrongly thought was his, Brown cornered him on Worchester Avenue near the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and launched a brutal, unprovoked attack. Mr Iweha was repeatedly hit and died on the road from a stab wound to the chest.
Cover-Up and Flight from Justice
Brown was joined by Leandro Kaienga, 29, of Croydon, who was seen on video kicking away Mr Iweha's shoe after the attack. Both men then disposed of their bloodstained clothes and the murder weapon in a nearby wheelie bin, later burning the items in an attempt to cover their tracks. They made no attempt to help their dying victim or call emergency services.
Judge Anuja Dhir KC condemned their actions, stating they had left Mr Iweha to die alone on the pavement. Brown subsequently fled to the United States but was tracked down by the Metropolitan Police in Dallas, Texas. He was extradited and arrested in January this year, before being found guilty of murder after a trial.
Kaienga was given concurrent sentences for perverting the course of justice and possession of a knife blade. He was released from court having already served this time while on remand.
A Family's Agony and a Sister's Plea
In a powerful victim impact statement, Mr Iweha's sister, Ojiugo Mukasa, addressed the defendants directly as they sat in the dock. She said her family had been plunged into "profound grief and anger" by a senseless act that had taken a cherished life.
"We lost our only brother, a child lost her father, our mother lost a son," she told the court. "The trauma of losing Oke and the agony of the manner in which we lost him has imprinted a lifelong grief upon our family."
She expressed fury that her brother's character had been "besmirched" with "lies" to portray him as an aggressor, an act she said was another profound injustice. Turning to the killers, she asked: "You have devastated a life and broken a family for what? What has been gained?"
In a final, hard-hitting message, she demanded: "Was this the plan when you were born? Ask your family what makes a family proud?"
Mr Iweha's body was discovered by a passing Uber driver. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that Brown was seen assessing the bloodstained bike after the attack before deciding to leave it behind.
