Jahmel Joseph, 29, blasted Jordan Rodney in the eye then hit his brother Omar Joseph in the head and hand at a family wake in Hammersmith, west London
A mentally unwell man has been jailed for life after shooting his cousin dead and injuring his brother at a family wake.
Jahmel Joseph, 29, blasted Jordan Rodney in the eye then hit his brother Omar Joseph in the head and hand at a gathering in Hammersmith, west London, on June 11 2025.
The next day, Joseph, who has schizophrenia, sped away from police, crashed his Mercedes into multiple cars and then ran through gardens to evade arrest.
In his defence, Joseph claimed that in his psychotic state he feared Mr Rodney would kill him.
Someone in the packed public gallery shouted “rot in hell” as Joseph, of Ealing, west London, was led away from the dock at the Old Bailey on Thursday after being given a life sentence with a minimum 39-year term.
It comes after jury had found him guilty of murder, attempted murder, having a firearm with intent to endanger life, dangerous driving and possessing a shotgun.
Judge Nigel Lickley KC told Joseph: “You have committed crimes of the utmost brutality. You have murdered Jordan Rodney, a person who showed you support and kindness by shooting him in the face at point blank range.”
Mr Rodney was shot at close range in the eye and the defendant’s brother, who survived, turned his head instinctively at the sound and put his hand up to protect his face.
Relatives were nearby and “it is only by very good fortune that this is not a case of double murder”, according to the judge. He added Joseph committed his crimes “without regard for other people” and put “more lives at risk” as he tried to evade the police, including mounting a pavement, before crashing the car.
The judge also noted “you have offered no explanation” for your behaviour and there had been some “clear thinking” in his behaviour in targeting members of his family. The judge said he was satisfied Joseph knew that if he did not take his medication the paranoia would return, and it did, and there was a limited connection between his mental illness and his actions.
Previously, the Old Bailey heard Mr Rodney, 30, had been arguing with Joseph at the wake, with the defendant complaining he had not been sleeping. A relative then told the pair to keep the noise down before telling Joseph to go home.
He later got on his Yamaha motorcycle armed with a shotgun and returned to the wake just before midnight. After the shooting, Joseph returned home and drove his Mercedes car to a service station in Buckinghamshire where he bought a coffee.
He went home in the early hours of June 12 and had a “bonfire” in the garden, the court was told. The chase ended when Joseph’s Mercedes collided head-on with another car and came to a stop.
Joseph abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot through neighbouring gardens until he was eventually arrested in a garden. Officers recovered a sawn-off shotgun with the defendant’s DNA on it inside a black bag Joseph had thrown away during the chase.
Jurors were told Joseph had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was prescribed medication for it. His case was that he was unwell at the time of the shooting and acted as he did under the “reasonable belief” that he feared Mr Rodney would kill him.
In sentencing, the judge also noted the “moving and dignified” victim impact statements which showed how the family has been devastated by the attack. The deceased was remembered by his mother Ivinia Rodney as someone who loved his family who were proud of how “strong and ambitious” he had become.
In a statement that was directed towards Joseph, and read out in court on her behalf, she said: “We as a family will never understand why you committed such an evil and horrific crime to our son Jo Jo.”
She added: “You made sure you took away that love from and and to make that worse Mr Joseph, you committed your evil crime at my niece’s wake and have shown no empathy.”
Mr Rodney’s girlfriend Ashleigh Marshall fought back tears as she spoke of her “amazing, kind-hearted, loving, caring boyfriend” and how his murder has destroyed her family. She said: “I do not feel safe any more in the world. You have not only destroyed me, you have hurt my family. My mum has seen her daughter fall apart and that pain will stay forever.”
In a letter read in court, Joseph’s mother Sherille Rodney said: “Having spoken, he is really confused. However, he accepts that it happened and he is devastated by it.” She described the killing as a “complete shock” and said she could never have thought he was capable “of such an act”.