Gregory Catillo Volquez, 36, left behind a young daughter following his brutal murder in North London
Three violent men have been jailed for a combined total of 68 years after savagely murdering a young father in cold blood on the streets of North London.
Gregory Catillo Volquez, 36, had been enjoying a night out with friends in south London when they travelled north, and he was set upon by the trio in Tiverton Road, Haringey, in the early hours of Monday, January 13 last year.
Footage showed two of men wielding a machete and crutch as Mr Volquez was stabbed 22 times, while the crutch was used to repeatedly rain down blows upon him. Mr Volquez, who shared a young daughter with his partner, was pronounced dead in the street by paramedics.
On Friday, September 4, following an an eight-week trial in Southwark Crown Court, Benito Ramirez Kones, 20, Carlos Akum Metumbe, 22, and Italian national, Luiggi Perelli Santana, 22, were convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Kones, 21, of Hackney, received a minimum term of 23 years; Metumbe, also from Hackney, a minimum of 22 years; and Santana, of Lambeth, a minimum of 23 years.
In a victim impact statement read out to the court, Gregory’s partner, Teresa said: “We have a daughter, a little girl, who misses her dad. She asks for him, she still expects to see him coming back. She needs his hugs, his words, and his presence.
“It is very painful to see a little girl suffering the absence of her father and how she tries to understand why he is not with us. They robbed her of the opportunity to grow up beside him, to share her birthdays, graduations and all the important moments of her life.
“This tragedy not only destroyed our lives, but also broke the heart of a mother, who lost her only son. There are no words that can describe the suffering of this mother who had to say goodbye to her son in such a cruel and unjust way. Our family has been marked forever.”
The investigation found that Gregory did not know the three men who carried out the violent attack, and the motive of the attack still remains unclear.
Of the three, Kones was detained five days after the attack in Swansea. Kones’ trainers, which were seen on CCTV, were seized upon arrest and forensic evidence confirmed they were covered in traces of Gregory’s blood.
While two of the three killers, Metumbe and Santana, did succeed in leaving the country, the pair were traced to Spain and were respectively extradited by Met officers in August and October 2025.
Both Metumbe and Santana were captured on CCTV repeatedly raining down blows on Gregory with a machete and crutch.
Gregory’s post-mortem examination stated that he had 22 stab wounds – many of which were caused by a long knife – as well as bruises that were caused by a blunt object. Forensic evidence supported the footage and Santana’s bloody fingerprints were identified on both the crutch and large knife.
Detective Inspector Jim Barry, who led the investigation, said: “Our thoughts go to Gregory’s loved ones who have demonstrated commendable togetherness and strength throughout this turbulent process. I know nothing will bring him home but am hopeful that this result offers justice and closure for his family, who have been left without a much-loved dad, brother, and son.
“Our team of officers showed huge tenacity to build a solid case with undisputable forensic evidence which resulted in these violent men being taken off our streets for a long, long time. It’s this hard work that is enabling the force to secure a positive outcome from 95 per cent of our murder investigations.”
A fourth man was found not guilty.
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