Thugs murdered teenager, 19, in ‘brutal and cowardly ambush’ in West London park

Tyler Donnelly was “ambushed” and stabbed in the neck in 2024

Three men have been jailed for a total of 79 years for the murder of a teenager in a park. The trio claimed they never met the victim but were all found guilty of his murder.

Keith Preddie, 34, Daniel Matos, 23 and Joshua Cowley, 29, were sentenced for the murder of 19-year-old Tyler Donnelly in Hanworth Park, Feltham. On Thursday, May 7, all three defendants were given life sentences, with Matos a minimum term of 27 years and six months, Preddie at least 27 years, and Cowley 25 years.

Tyler was found on January 25, 2024, unresponsive, lying in the grass at Hanworth Park, Feltham. He had multiple injuries, including a stab wound to the neck and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was also found carrying nearly 30 wraps of heroin and crack cocaine and £300 in cash, and it was later revealed that he was a drug runner for a local drug dealing operation.

Investigators trawled through CCTV footage to identify Tyler’s movements leading up to his murder. CCTV captured him going into the park on his bike. CCTV also captured them cycling to the crime scene. They were also able to identify their location due to the fact that Daniel Matos was wearing a GPS tag that tracked them cycling to the scene of the attack in Hanworth Park, armed with two knives.

Mr Donnelly had also cycled there in his role as a runner for a local drug-dealing business. Instead of meeting customers, he was fatally stabbed in the neck and left to die in thick grass near his bicycle, where he was found the next day.

The three defendants then rode out of the park, with Matos going home to change his clothes while the other two went to Joshua Cowley’s home.

All three were arrested on Sunday, 28 January, with officers locating a hoodie in Matos’ room, which was stained with Tyler’s blood. During their interviews, all three denied ever meeting Tyler.

Sentencing at the Old Bailey, Judge Mark Dennis KC told them: “This was a brutal and cowardly attack, ambushing your victim who was outnumbered and had no opportunity to try and defend himself against such violence.”

In their victim impact statement, Tyler’s family said: “Tyler was deeply loved, he was at the centre of our family, and his loss has changed our lives forever. Grief has consumed our family. Our house is filled with silence, pain, and absence. Nothing feels the same, and nothing ever will.