“A VILE thug who helped murder a teenager and a man after mistaking them for members of a rival gang has been jailed for life. Jason Furtado, who was due to be deported nine years ago, was found guilty of murdering Leonardo Reid, 15, and Shekaj Slevi, 23. 9 Jason Furtado was convicted of murdering”, — write: www.thesun.co.uk
Jason Furtado, who was due to be deported nine years ago, was found guilty of murdering Leonardo Reid, 15, and Shekaj Slevi, 23.
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Jason Furtado was convicted of murdering Leonardo Reid, 15, and Klevi Shekaj, 23
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Leonardo Reid was murdered by Furtado’s gang as he watched a rap video being filmed
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Klevi Shekaj was also stabbed to death by the gangFurtado and his gang stabbed their victims to death as they watched a rap video being filmed on an estate in Islington, North London.
The 28-year-old was one of five men found guilty of murdering the pair during the attack on a group of around 40 people in June 2023.
He appeared at the Old Bailey in July, alongside Lorik Lupqi, 21, Abel Chunda, 29, Xavier Poponne, 22, and Eden Clark, 31.
They were also convicted of one count of attempted murder after leaving Abdullah Abdullahi, 28, badly hurt.
The five gang members have now been jailed for a total of 189 years.
Furtado and Poponne received minimum terms of 37 years, while Chunda and and Clark were given minimum terms of 38 years.
Judge Anjua Dhir KC told Lupqi he would spend at least 39 years in prison for the “planned, brutal, murderous group attack”.
Lupqi was the instigator of the violence and had lashed out in the dock during the trial.
Judge Dhir told the defendants: “With the exception of Xavier Poponne, your behaviour during this trial has been appalling…
“… with constant outbursts in court, fights in the dock, disruptive behaviour in the cells in this building and difficult behaviour coming to and leaving this court.”
She said Lupqi had been “by far the worst”.
The judge added they had shown “a complete lack of respect for the court process and the families of your victims”.
The Home Office initially tried to deport the Portuguese national in February 2016.
After launching at least two appeals to avoid eviction from the UK, Furtado carried on his crime spree.
While appealing his deportation notice, he took part in vicious robberies and almost killed four people.
He was jailed for four years in 2017 after crashing a stolen car into a group of people outside an Islington pub.
Despite causing the horror smash, which left three men and a woman with life-threatening injuries, he still avoided deportation.
Furtado’s parents are from Angola and claimed asylum in the UK three months before he was born.
An immigration appeal panel ruled he was entitled to the highest “imperative” level of protection from deportation.
Judges deemed he should be protected because he had been a resident in the UK for more than 10 years.
He and Kosovan co-defendant Lorik Lupqi were both on electronic tags when they took part in the brutal murders.
Lupqi fled back to Kosovo after the attacks and was extradited to the UK in November last year.
Abel Chunda has 97 previous convictions for offences including robbery, assault and possessing knives.
Eden Clark and Xavier Poponne were also both convicted of two counts of murder.
The defendants – all from North London – had fought among themselves in the dock during the 15-week trial.
Det Insp Jim Barry of Specialist Crime North said “These violent men went into this estate with the intention of killing anyone they could…
“… under the false impression that those there were rival gang members.
“This was a senseless, violent act which has shattered the lives of so many, especially Leonardo and Klevi’s loved ones.”
There had been a large gathering on the Elthorne estate to film a rap music video, the Met Police said.
Lupqi, a gang member from Islington, spotted the group at around 8:30pm.
He messaged his girlfriend stating that “opps were outside.”
She urged him to stay inside, but Lupqi decided to message his close friend and gang associate Jason Furtado.
They planned to meet up with three other gang members and go to the Elthorne estate.
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Lorik Lupqi, 21, took part in the murdersCredit: PA
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Xavier Poponne, 22, was convicted of two counts of murderCredit: PA
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Eden Clark, 31, was also found guilty of two counts of murderCredit: PAWhen they arrived, most people had gone, but a couple of local youngsters were still kicking about.
The gang thugs then fatally stabbed Leonardo Reid, who sadly died at the scene, and Klevi Shekaj, who died in hospital.
Met Police’s Specialist Crime Command launched a double murder and attempted murder investigation.
Enquiries found the gang had contacted each other through 50 short phone calls in the two hours leading up to the attack.
After the brutal stabbing, the four went to Abel Chunda’s house and called organiser Furtado.
Chuna and Furtado were arrested on July 3.
Clarke had fled to the Suffolk coast and tried to disguise himself, but Met Officers located and detained him on July 12.
Lupqi illegally travelled to Kosovo days after the murders and told his girlfriend not to wait for him.
The force worked with the Kosovan authorities, the National Crime Agency as well as the CPS, to extradite him to the UK.
Officers cuffed him at Luton Airport on 12 November 2024.
After Poponne’s arrest in November 2023, lyrics were found in a drill song written the day after the murders.
The disgusting words had glorified the murders and made references to elements of the attack which could only be known to those involved.
The lyrics highlighted how Leonardo and Klevi were not involved in gang criminality.
Shortly after the murders, Poponne also changed his social media name to ‘X3’ referencing the number of people he had stabbed.
The group denied murder throughout their trial.
They were all convicted of two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder at the Old Bailey on July 23.
Detective Inspector Jim Barry added: “This dangerous group of men will now spend a long time behind bars.
“But the effect of what they did will be felt by the victim’s shattered families for longer.
“I thank the members of the public who tried to help and save the lives of those injured and have assisted our team with enquiries.
“We will continue to tackle violent offenders and ensure that justice is bought for the safety of our communities.”
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Abel Chunda, 29, has 97 previous convictions for offences including robbery, assault and possessing knivesCredit: PA
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The victims were stabbed to death when Furtado’s gang attacked a group of around 40 peopleCredit: BPM
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The horror unfolded on June 2023Credit: PA