Three men have been convicted of murdering father-of-two Gregory Castillo Volquez, who was stabbed to death in an alleyway in Tottenham last year. Benito Ramirez Kones, 20, Carlos Akum Metumbe, 22, of Spain, and Italian national Luiggi Perelli Santana, 22, were found guilty following an eight-week trial at Southwark Crown Court. A fourth defendant, Gabriel Pineda Gonzales, 21, was acquitted.
The attack and injuries
Mr Castillo Volquez, 36 and originally from the Dominican Republic, was discovered injured outside a block of flats on Tiverton Road in Tottenham at around 5am on Monday, 13 January 2025. Police had been called to reports of people fighting with knives in an alleyway. He had spent the previous evening visiting bars with a friend in Brixton and Elephant and Castle.
Officers pronounced him dead at the scene. A post-mortem examination found he had been stabbed 22 times, with many wounds caused by a long knife, and had sustained bruises consistent with a blunt object. A provisional cause of death was recorded as sharp force trauma to the torso and a serious head injury. CCTV footage captured Metumbe and Santana raining blows on the victim with a machete and a crutch.
Forensic evidence
The Metropolitan Police’s investigation relied heavily on forensic evidence that directly tied each convicted man to the killing. Kones was detained in Swansea five days after the attack, and forensic analysis of his trainers revealed traces of the victim’s blood. Santana’s bloody fingerprints were found on both the crutch and the large knife used in the attack.
Detective Inspector Jim Barry, who led the investigation, said: “Our skilled team of officers showed huge tenacity to build a solid case with undisputable forensic evidence which resulted in three violent men being taken off our streets.” He added that the force secures a positive outcome in 95 per cent of its murder investigations, and that he hoped the result offered “a morsel of justice and closure for Gregory’s family, who have been left without a much-loved dad, brother and son.”
The Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime Unit was instrumental in piecing together the circumstances, analysing CCTV and gathering the forensic case. The investigation found that the three convicted men were known to Mr Castillo Volquez.
Arrests and extradition
Following the attack, officers made a series of arrests. On the day of the killing, a 20-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. Three others – two men aged 20 and 23, and a 23-year-old woman – were arrested nearby shortly afterwards. On 16 January 2025, Joan Perea, 20, Edison Dario Canario Perez, 23, Carlos Ramirez Tavarez, 28, and Niara Hernandez, 20, were charged with murder. These individuals are not among those convicted at Southwark Crown Court, reflecting later developments in the investigation.
Kones was detained in Swansea on 18 January 2025. Metumbe and Santana were traced to Spain and extradited by Metropolitan Police officers in August and October 2025 respectively. The court heard that the three men were known to the victim, though the precise nature of their relationship was not disclosed in evidence.
Mr Castillo Volquez was described by his family as a much-loved son, father and friend, a man with a noble heart who was loyal, fun and generous. He had a partner and her daughters, whom he loved and cared for as his own. In a statement issued through police, his family said they were heartbroken and appealed for anyone with information to come forward, adding: “Even the smallest detail could be crucial.”
