A further two men have been jailed for the murder of 16-year-old Rhamero West in September 2021.
Shikeo Bell 23, of Moss Side, and Giovanni Lawrence 24, of no fixed abode, were both found guilty of murder at Manchester Crown Court earlier this week
They have now been sentenced to over 30 years – Lawrence was given 20 years however due to time served already, he will serve a minimum of 15 years and 195 days. Bell was sentenced to the youth equivalent of a life sentence and will be detained at His Majesty’s Pleasure for a minimum of 18 years.
Lawrence had previously been convicted of the same offence in May 2022, before his conviction was overturned on appeal.
On Thursday 9th September 2021, Rhamero and his friends had driven to Millennium Park in the Moss Side area. A BMW 1 Series and BMW 3 Series drove past them at speed, while the vehicle Rhamero was in carried on in the direction of Princess Road.
Two of the males in the BMW 1 Series were Lawrence and Bell.
After the vehicle Rhamero was in struggled to get through traffic and was held at the lights, Marquis Richards and Ryan Cashin (both previously sentenced) and Bell approached Rhamero’s vehicle, with Richards lunging through the open driver’s window with a knife.
Following this, there was a short pursuit, which resulted in a collision, and left Rhamero and his friends running down Darnley Street, Old Trafford.
Richards exited the BMW 1 series carrying a large knife and chased them, followed by Bell and then Cashin who had exited the BMW 3 Series. Lawrence drove down Darnley Street onto Norton Street where he waited for Richards, as did the other car.
On Norton Street, Rhamero began garden hopping to get away from the offenders but then resorted to lying down to hide in one of the front gardens. Shortly after, Rhamero was stabbed multiple times by Ryan Cashin who had chased him down.
As Bell arrived on Norton Street he was heard to tell Cashin to get into the BMW 3 Series before getting in himself, with both vehicles then fleeing the scene
Local residents attempted to administer first aid to Rhamero before paramedics arrived and conducted open heart surgery in the street. He was then taken to hospital but sadly died as a result of his injuries.
Both Lawrence’s and Bell’s DNA were discovered in one of the cars involved in the attack and murder of Rhamero, implicating them in the attack and prompting further investigation
Extensive forensic, CCTV, phone-work, and witness enquiries have aided in today’s result, in addition to the 2022 sentencings.
Rhamero West’s Mum Kelly Brown said: “I am really happy with the outcome – justice has been served.
“Thank you to the amazing team behind me for all their hard work and for all their continued support through both trials.
“I am forever grateful.
“Now my baby boy can rest in eternal peace and we as a family can begin the healing process.”
Detective Inspector Paul Davies, from Greater Manchester Police’s Major Incident Team, said: “Bell and Lawrence were part of a vicious group attack which saw Rhamero West pursued and chased down in what would have been a terrifying few minutes before his death.
“Today’s result means four people have now been convicted of Rhamero’s murder, and I am glad that we have managed to secure justice for him and his family.
“In particular, I want to pay tribute to his mum, Kelly, who has shown incredible, resilience, courage and strength over the last five years as we have worked towards getting justice for her son. I hope today’s result enables her to find some form of peace and closure.
“I want to thank my team for their diligence and hard-work which has enabled today’s result – in particular DS McIntosh, DS Kelly Bragg and Police Staff member Matthew Dickinson. Their work has been exceptional.
“These sort of awful incidents will always be met with a full and robust response, with our aim being to secure prison sentences for those responsible.”
A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Rhamero West was just 16 years old when he lost his life in this shocking knife attack in 2021. Rhamero was ruthlessly pursued and given no chance to escape or defend himself.
“Despite Rhamero being killed in 2021, police continued to investigate his murder, resulting in further charges being brought by the CPS.
“This was a complex case to prosecute, while both men claimed they were not in the cars used to pursue Rhamero.
“We used phone location data, CCTV footage and forensic evidence to prove that Lawrence and Bell were in the cars, with others, chasing Rhamero and were actively involved in his murder. This enabled us to put the strongest case before the court, which has resulted in their conviction.
“Whilst I know that nothing can bring Rhamero back, I want to thank his family for their patience while we fought for justice for him.”
