Lathaniel Burrell, 16, from Stockwell died at the scene following an ‘enormously shocking’ shooting, which unfolded just yards away from a London Underground station
A teenage gunman has been found guilty of murdering a boy while disguised as a Just Eat delivery rider.
Neo Duodu-Watson, 18, shot 16-year-old Lathaniel Burrell in the chest and back outside a block of flats in Paradise Road in Stockwell, south London on March 4 2025.
The defendant was riding a stolen moped and had on a distinctive jacket worn by Just Eat delivery riders to avoid arousing suspicion, the Old Bailey was told.
He fired two shots from a pistol which had been converted to fire live ammunition. One bullet in Lathaniel’s chest caused “catastrophic” internal bleeding, and the victim collapsed and died after attempting to run away.
Prosecutor Alan Gardner KC had told jurors: “The gunman would have fired more shots but his firearm malfunctioned and disintegrated, leaving parts behind at the scene which were later found by the police.
“However, the two shots he did fire were enough to achieve what the gunman intended – Lathaniel died at the scene, despite the best efforts of members of the public and emergency medical staff.”
He told jurors the murder was a “planned, organised and premeditated shooting” by Duodu-Watson and assisted by Omar Prempeh. Prempeh was the driver of a white Nissan Juke car which was used to drive the gunman to and from the scene.
Jurors were told Prempeh’s car had a specially constructed hiding place which was an ideal place to conceal a gun.
Jurors were told that the defendants used a “trap house” (a premises where illegal drugs are sold) as a base before and after the shooting.
The Just Eat jacket worn by the gunman was linked to that address and following a search police found live ammunition in one of the bedrooms.
On a possible motive for the killing, Mr Gardner suggested its origins lay in the trade in illegal drugs and had “many of the hallmarks of serious organised crime”.
Following an Old Bailey trial, Duodu-Watson, from Peckham, and Prempeh, 33, from Forest Hill, were found guilty of murder on Friday.
They remanded into custody to be sentenced at a later date. Jurors were discharged after failing to reach verdicts on charges against three more men, who face a retrial in November.
