Michelle Sadio, 44, was gunned down outside a church in North London
The widower of a mother-of-two killed in a drive-by shooting outside a wake has told her murderers a chilling 5 word message about their ability to change, he said: “it is not too late”. Michelle Sadio, 44, was gunned down outside the River of Life Pentecostal Church in Willesden, north London, on December 14, 2024.
On Wednesday, Perry Allen-Thomas, 27, and Amir Salem, 20, were jailed for life for her murder and the attempted murders of two men who were injured. As the defendants sat in the dock, Mrs Sadio’s husband called her a “pillar” and her father said she was “everything”.
In a statement read to the court, Jean-Marie Sadio paid tribute to his daughters: He said there are days when the grief feels “unbearable” but he holds onto the memories they shared and “the bond that death can never take away”.
His full statement reads: “The ones who were behind what happened that night can never know what they have done. I have forgiven them because the future has to be my focus for the sake of my children. I cannot have our son and daughter growing up with hatred in their hearts and bitterness for something they don’t have any power to fix.”
Addressing the defendants in the dock, he said: “Today, you stand guilty before all but, most importantly, you stand forgiven. Do not burden yourself with guilt but an unquenchable and determined desire to change. If you succeed in this, you would have repaid society.”
Mr Sadio said it is too late for his family but not too late for the defendants, saying: “Amir and Perry, please use time to reflect, choose wisely and become – become the dream your parents and loved ones always longed for you to be. Their pain must also be unspeakable.”
When speaking about his bond with his wife, he added: “Michelle was the one to go to for advice. She was the pillar. The one always to be relied on. She was the friend and partner you would wish to have in your life. Without her here I know that half of me is gone. I know I am broken and I will never be the same man again.”
Father Young Ekpenyong explained that his daughter’s middle name translated to “God’s gift”, and this is what she meant to him.
In his statement, Mr Ekpenyong said: “Our daughter was everything. Her middle name meant God’s gift… We now live as if she is simply away somewhere, travelling. The stress of the loss has been immense for us all.”
Referring to her murderers, he said: “These boys have killed part of our lives. Our lives can never be the same.”
Brother Alfred Ekpenyong told the defendants: “No sentence will ever make it right, my brother and I will never see our sister again. Your names are permanent stains on those who loved and cared for Michelle. I hope you reflect deeply now.”
Another sibling, Rocky Ekpenyong, added: “These boys have ruined this family. I think about Michelle every day. I am angry, I am angry a lot.”
Friend Lilian Vasamoa, who knew Mrs Sadio since primary school, described her loss as “like a dream”. She said: “She was truly an angel. I constantly have flashbacks and don’t even think that I have started to grieve.
“Events that happened on that night still feel like a dream.”
Mr Sadio also described the pain his children have felt since losing their mother and how they “struggle every day without her”.
In a televised sentencing, Mrs Justice McGowan handed Allen-Thomas, from Wembley, north London, a minimum term of 38 years.
Michelle Sadio, who had been attending a wake at the River of Life Elim Pentecostal Church, was shot and was found by officers and paramedics with significant injuries. Despite their efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two other men, both aged in their 30s, also suffered gunshot wounds and were taken to hospital for treatment. One of the men continues to live with the life-changing effects of his injuries.
Michelle, a mother of two young children, and the two men, were innocent victims of a dispute between two gangs in northwest London. The car used in the fatal attack was found completely burnt out the following day on a recreation ground in the Chalkhill Estate, HA9.
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