Colchester murder: Stabbing was in response to rap lyrics

Alinjavwa Siwale, 22, also known as Mr Essex and Swizzino, died in the kitchen of his Colchester home on December 11 last year after suffering stab wounds.

Mr Siwale’s brother Suwi was also at the home, in Affleck Road, and suffered a stab wound to his head.

Sheldon Kay, 25, and Phoenix Lee, 20, both of no fixed address, had denied murder but were found guilty by a jury.

At a sentencing hearing today, Judge Christopher Morgan passed life sentences on both defendants

During the trial, Lee told the jury he had been selling cannabis for Alinjavwa and the pair had previously been on good terms.

Judge Morgan said: “Jav Siwale was also a talented musician according to those who knew him.

“Indeed in the days leading up to the murder, Jav had been posting music lyrics on social media.

“Some of those lyrics, however, described a falling out between himself and Phoenix Lee.

“The lyrics referred to drug dealing and the use of knives to cause serious harm and death.

“Phoenix Lee was specifically named in the lyrics to the rap ‘Everyone Thinks They’re On Swizz’.

“That was the street name of Jav. The lyrics also refer to ‘chasing Repo’, that being the street name of Lee and ‘splashing him’ which was a reference to stabbing him.”

Runner - Phoenix Lee took issue with lyrics written about him

During his evidence, Lee told the jury the only falling out between the pair had been over a drug deal which went awry.

He said his relationship with Alinjavwa had soured after he connected him with a supplier of cannabis-infused sweets.

“When we got them, they were in these packets,” said Lee.

“People can buy these packets and fill them up with sweets, just normal sweets you could buy at Asda, so obviously that’s what they’d done.

“We bought around 60 packets.

“The price was about £600 and all of them turned out to be normal sweets.

“So we didn’t realise until we started distributing them to people, and that was basically where it started getting kind of rocky.

“I didn’t have the money to reimburse them for it.

“When I realised Jav started to have feelings over it was when he posted the song about me.”

Giles Cockings QC, defending, asked: “What was your reaction to hearing these lyrics, did you find it insulting, were you wound up by it?”

Lee said: “I didn’t like it, but it’s nothing really.

“It was kind of a bit of a joke, people laughed at it because it wasn’t true.”

But Judge Morgan said he was “certain” Lee reacted to the disparaging lyrics by recruiting McKay and arming himself with a hunting knife.

He said the fact Lee had conducted an internet search for the very knife he used to kill Alinjavwa was proof he had planned the attack.

He added he is “satisfied” McKay knew he was being recruited for “a violent enterprise”.

Read more: Killers who stabbed aspiring rapper in violent raid handed life sentences

Benjamin Gordon, mitigating for Lee, said his client had a “difficult and turbulent upbringing”.

He said: “Mr Lee’s childhood has been an interrupted and disrupted one.

“It has not always been the case that he has been able to enjoy a safe and stable family home.

“There have been relationships in Mr Lee’s young life which have not always been positive.”

Mr Gordon said a letter written by Lee for the judge showed “genuine sentiments of reflection and remorse”.

The court heard McKay committed the murder in breach of a suspended sentence imposed for causing grievous bodily harm and intimidating a witness.

Accomplice - Lee enlisted the help of Sheldon McKay

Donal Lawler, for McKay, pointed to a psychiatric report which details the mental heath difficulties he faces.

Judge Morgan said his mental health struggles “do not remotely explain” his involvement in the stabbing.

He added: “What is evident is that your use of drugs exacerbates your mental health difficulties.”