‘Sword killer' of boy, 14, was ‘flat Earth' conspiracy theorist fan of Elon Musk
An alleged knifeman 'smiled' after slashing a pedestrian's neck during a rampage which left a 14-year-old boy dead, the Old Bailey has heard.
Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, told a women before the alleged attacks that he was a fan of Elon Musk and believed we all live under a dome controlled by 'evil lizard aliens'.
He is on trial accused of murdering schoolboy Daniel Anjorin, 14, and attempting to kill four others in a 'brutal string of attacks' in Hainault, north-east London on April 30 last year. He denies the charges.
During a trial at the Old Bailey on Monday, the court heard Daniel was on his way to school when he was killed 'in an instant'.
CCTV footage shown in court capture's Monzo's grey Ford Transit mounting the pavement and hitting Co-op security guard Donato Iwule, who was on his way to work.
Monzo is accused of then attacking Donato with a sword.
Giving evidence, Donato said: 'I thought I was dying.'
He told the court he tried to escape into a nearby garden but was struck on his knee, face and shoulder and knocked to the ground.
He said Monzo got out of the van, pulled a sword from a cover 'right in front of my face' and threw the cover aside.
'I said 'I don't know you'… I said it multiple times,' Mr Iwule told prosecutor Tom Little KC.
'He said 'I don't care – I'm going to kill you'.'
Donato said he tried to defend himself and raised his arms but Monzo swung the sword, catching him on the neck.
'I saw blood coming out of my neck,' he said. 'I pressed my thumb to not bleed out… I shouted 'God is greatest' in Arabic – because I'm Muslim.
'When that happened, he was smiling like it was something that he was happy about.'
Donato said while he was trying to flee the scene, he saw Daniel walking down the road and shouted at him to go back inside.
He added later on he saw Daniel on the floor and Monzo attacking the ambulance which was trying to help him.
Jurors also heard how Monzo had ordered a large samurai sword and 'moaned' as he played with in the days leading up to the rampage.
CCTV footage shown in court showed him unboxing the swords, making moaning noises and referring to his cat as 'the wizard' on April 4, three anda half weeks before the attack.
In the video, he's heard saying: 'Woo, frigging sexy ah* this is real leather ooo, oh my god.
'I'm sharing here, sharing my sword. Do you wanna sink your teeth in here?'
Jurors heard Monzo had told customers his hobbies were yoga and martial arts, that he was born in Brazil but went backpacking in India and had a 'spiritual experience' which opened his eyes.
He told a woman who had hired his van that he was a fan of Elon Musk because he had allowed the truth to come out.
Monzo also said the earth is flat, that the 9/11 attacks were a conspiracy and that 'the pope is the most evil person on the planet'.
Monzo, of West Beckton, east London, denies murder and four counts of attempted murder. More Trending
He also denies aggravated burglary by entering a home in Laing Close with a Katana samurai sword with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to the residents.
He also denies wounding with intent while trying to resist his lawful apprehension and having an article with a blade or point, namely a kitchen knife.
The trial continues.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: Bungling ram raider used shopping basket to make off with loot after bag broke
MORE: Two dead after gunman opens fire outside Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas
MORE: First picture of boy, 14, stabbed to death outside pub
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Alleged sword attacker ‘smiled' after slashing man in the neck, court hears
Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, is on trial accused of murdering schoolboy Daniel Anjorin and attempting to kill four others during a 20-minute rampage in Hainault, north-east London, on April 30 last year. He denies the charges. On Monday, jurors were shown CCTV of the first alleged attack, which showed Monzo's grey Ford Transit mounting the pavement and hitting Donato Iwule, a Co-op security guard on his way to work. Footage captured Mr Iwule screaming in agony as he was struck by the van before it collided with a house. Monzo is then seen exiting the vehicle and walking after him while brandishing a sword. Giving evidence, Mr Iwule said: 'I thought I was dying.' He told the court he tried to escape into a nearby garden but was struck on his knee, face and shoulder and knocked to the ground. Marcus Arduini Monzo (Elizabeth Cook/PA) He said Monzo got out of the van, pulled a sword from a cover 'right in front of my face' and threw the cover aside. 'I said 'I don't know you'… I said it multiple times,' Mr Iwule told prosecutor Tom Little KC. 'He said 'I don't care – I'm going to kill you'.' Mr Iwule said he tried to defend himself and raised his arms but Monzo swung the sword, catching him on the neck. 'I saw blood coming out of my neck,' he said. 'I pressed my thumb to not bleed out… I shouted 'God is greatest' in Arabic – because I'm Muslim. 'When that happened, he was smiling like it was something that he was happy about.' Mr Iwule said Monzo became distracted and he jumped over a fence to escape, later shouting at a schoolboy, believed to be Daniel, to go back inside. Under cross-examination, Mr Iwule said he was standing upright when he was struck and could clearly hear Monzo say he was going to kill him. Last week jurors heard how Monzo had skinned and deboned his own cat before carrying out the alleged attacks, and was under the influence of cannabis that may have led to drug-induced psychosis. However, the prosecution says this does not amount to diminished responsibility. Mitchell Hayes, a witness who was also on his way to work at the Co-op, said he saw the van 'going faster, slowing down, going faster' before the collision. He said he later heard screaming, saw the driver walk around the van and then get back in and reverse away, appearing to hold what looked like a sword. Mr Hayes said he stayed with Mr Iwule, who was holding his neck and bleeding, for 10 to 15 minutes before becoming aware of another incident nearby. He said another colleague, Nathan Hutchinson, began shouting that the attacker had a sword and they saw a body on the other side of the road. 'He was running around with it like a maniac,' Mr Hayes said of the man he believed to be Monzo. Monzo has admitted possessing two swords but denies murder, attempted murder, wounding with intent, aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article. The trial continues.
Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Sword rampage survivor claims 'killer' slashed him across throat
Marcus Arduini Monzo is accused of murdering 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin and attempting to kill four others during a 20-minute sword rampage in Hainault, London last April A court has heard how an alleged killer slashed a passerby in the neck with a sword before smiling during a 'brutal string of attacks'. The trial at the Old Bailey today heard how Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, is accused of murdering 14-year-old schoolboy Daniel Anjorin and attempting to kill four others during a 20-minute sword rampage in Hainault, north-east London, on April 30 last year. He denies the charges. A grey Ford Transit can be seen mounting a pavement and hitting Donato Iwule, a Co-op security guard on his way to work, in CCTV footage shown to the jury on Monday. The video captured Mr Iwule screaming as the van struck him before it went on to collide with a house. A man is then seen exiting the vehicle and walking after Mr Iwule while brandishing a sword. 'I thought I was dying,' Mr Iwule said in evidence. He described how he desperately tried to escape into a nearby garden but was struck on his knee, face and shoulder and knocked to the ground. He told the court how he saw the driver get out of the van, pull a sword from a cover 'right in front of my face,' before throwing the cover to one side. 'I said 'I don't know you'… I said it multiple times,' Mr Iwule told prosecutor Tom Little KC. 'He said 'I don't care – I'm going to kill you'.' Mr Iwule explained to the jury how he had tried to raise his arms to defend himself but Monzo swung the sword, slicing his neck. 'I saw blood coming out of my neck,' he said. 'I pressed my thumb to not bleed out… I shouted 'God is greatest' in Arabic – because I'm Muslim. When that happened, he was smiling like it was something that he was happy about.' Mr Iwule said he was able to jump over a fence to escape when Monzo became distracted. He described how he later shouted at a schoolboy, believed to be Daniel, to go back inside. During cross-examination Mr Iwule described how he had been standing upright when he was slashed with the sword and said he could clearly hear Monzo telling him he was going to kill him. Last week jurors heard Monzo allegedly killed and skinned his own cat at home before carrying out the alleged attacks. The court heard that a search of Spanish-Brazilian national Monzo's Newham home yielded evidence of the mutilated deboned animal as well as the presence of cannabis. The court heard how Monzo was under the influence of cannabis that may have led to drug-induced psychosis. However, the prosecution says this does not amount to diminished responsibility. Another witness, Mitchell Hayes, was also on his way to work at the Co-op when he told the jury he saw the van 'going faster, slowing down, going faster' before the crash. He described hearing screaming later and said he saw the driver walk around the van and then get back in and reverse away, appearing to hold what looked like a sword. Mr Hayes said he stayed with Mr Iwule, who was bleeding from the neck, for 10 to 15 minutes. He then became aware of another incident nearby, he explained, he saw another colleague, Nathan Hutchinson, shouting that the attacker had a sword and they saw a body on the other side of the road. 'He was running around with it like a maniac,' Mr Hayes said of the man he believed to be Monzo. Monzo is charged with 10 offences in total, including the murder of Daniel Anjorin, four counts for the alleged attempted murders of Donato Iwule, Sindy Arias, Henry De Los Rios Polania and PC Yasmin Margaret Mechem-Whitfield, a count of wounding with intent, and two counts of possessing an offensive weapon. Monzo has admitted possessing two swords but denies murder, attempted murder, wounding with intent, aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article. The trial continues.
Metro
5 hours ago
- Metro
‘Sword killer' of boy, 14, was ‘flat Earth' conspiracy theorist fan of Elon Musk
An alleged knifeman 'smiled' after slashing a pedestrian's neck during a rampage which left a 14-year-old boy dead, the Old Bailey has heard. Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, told a women before the alleged attacks that he was a fan of Elon Musk and believed we all live under a dome controlled by 'evil lizard aliens'. He is on trial accused of murdering schoolboy Daniel Anjorin, 14, and attempting to kill four others in a 'brutal string of attacks' in Hainault, north-east London on April 30 last year. He denies the charges. During a trial at the Old Bailey on Monday, the court heard Daniel was on his way to school when he was killed 'in an instant'. CCTV footage shown in court capture's Monzo's grey Ford Transit mounting the pavement and hitting Co-op security guard Donato Iwule, who was on his way to work. Monzo is accused of then attacking Donato with a sword. Giving evidence, Donato said: 'I thought I was dying.' He told the court he tried to escape into a nearby garden but was struck on his knee, face and shoulder and knocked to the ground. He said Monzo got out of the van, pulled a sword from a cover 'right in front of my face' and threw the cover aside. 'I said 'I don't know you'… I said it multiple times,' Mr Iwule told prosecutor Tom Little KC. 'He said 'I don't care – I'm going to kill you'.' Donato said he tried to defend himself and raised his arms but Monzo swung the sword, catching him on the neck. 'I saw blood coming out of my neck,' he said. 'I pressed my thumb to not bleed out… I shouted 'God is greatest' in Arabic – because I'm Muslim. 'When that happened, he was smiling like it was something that he was happy about.' Donato said while he was trying to flee the scene, he saw Daniel walking down the road and shouted at him to go back inside. He added later on he saw Daniel on the floor and Monzo attacking the ambulance which was trying to help him. Jurors also heard how Monzo had ordered a large samurai sword and 'moaned' as he played with in the days leading up to the rampage. CCTV footage shown in court showed him unboxing the swords, making moaning noises and referring to his cat as 'the wizard' on April 4, three anda half weeks before the attack. In the video, he's heard saying: 'Woo, frigging sexy ah* this is real leather ooo, oh my god. 'I'm sharing here, sharing my sword. Do you wanna sink your teeth in here?' Jurors heard Monzo had told customers his hobbies were yoga and martial arts, that he was born in Brazil but went backpacking in India and had a 'spiritual experience' which opened his eyes. He told a woman who had hired his van that he was a fan of Elon Musk because he had allowed the truth to come out. Monzo also said the earth is flat, that the 9/11 attacks were a conspiracy and that 'the pope is the most evil person on the planet'. Monzo, of West Beckton, east London, denies murder and four counts of attempted murder. More Trending He also denies aggravated burglary by entering a home in Laing Close with a Katana samurai sword with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to the residents. He also denies wounding with intent while trying to resist his lawful apprehension and having an article with a blade or point, namely a kitchen knife. The trial continues. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Bungling ram raider used shopping basket to make off with loot after bag broke MORE: Two dead after gunman opens fire outside Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas MORE: First picture of boy, 14, stabbed to death outside pub
