A UK homeless man killed a friend who offered him a place to stay. Now, he will remain behind bars for decades.
Old Bailey Court Judge David Aubrey KC sentenced Salieu Seray-Wurie to life in prison for the strangulation death of Darren Ammon, 47. After deliberating for twenty-five minutes, Seray-Wurie was found guilty and convicted by a jury of murder after he admitted committing manslaughter and theft to investigators.
"You were angry and in a rage. I am satisfied you intended to kill him and did so in such a calculating way. The family is broken. You took a father away from his sons and a son away from his mother," said Aubrey during the sentencing phase, reported BBC News.
On Oct. 15, Ammon called the police to help evict the defendant, who was homeless and a Class A drug addict, from his East London home. According to prosecutors, the victim had allowed Seray-Wurie to stay at his home until the day of the incident. Though the defendant left Ammon’s residence, he later returned to retrieve his bank card.
Then, in a rage, the 26-year-old Salieu Seray-Wurie and strangled the victim to death with a cord, then bound his wrist and knees. Though Ammon pleaded for mercy, the defendant told investigators he did not intend to seriously harm Ammon. Furthermore, investigators retrieved CCTV footage that showed Seray-Wurie leaving the residence with the victim’s TV within 60-90 minutes of the homicide and later pawned it for $12.
Three days later, concerned neighbors raised an alarm before authorities found Ammon’s body in his residence. Authorities believe the motive for the killing stemmed from Seray-Wurie’s desire to fund his drug habit.
"You stole him from us over nothing. We will never see him again, hear him again or get to tell him off, never get to share our lives with him again. I have had to be strong for my family but I am totally broken,” said the victim’s mother, Christine Ammon, during the victim impact statement, according to SKY News.
The defendant apologized to the victim’s family and will be eligible for parole after serving 19 years.
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