A man from Dagenham has been found guilty of murdering an 18-year-old.
Olamide Soyege, of Mayswood Gardens, was found guilty of Taylor Williams’s murder by a jury at Winchester Crown Court on Monday, November 30 after a seven week trial.
The 29-year-old and co-defendant Terence Maccabee, 19, from Peckham, had denied killing Taylor, who was found with stab wounds in a Basingstoke street in August, 2019. Taylor, from Bromley, later died in hospital.
The jury found Maccabee not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.
The court heard how Taylor was part of a London-based drug network and was staying at a flat in Basingstoke when rivals from another drug network turned up and tried to rob him.
The prosecution said Soyege threatened Taylor at knifepoint. A fight broke out after Taylor pushed Soyege, who retaliated with a punch.
Taylor escaped through a window following a struggle before realising he had been stabbed.
Paramedics found him collapsed in the street with stab wounds to his chest and right armpit and a laceration to his left forearm.
His death was caused by the chest wound, which penetrated his heart.
Paramedics later found Maccabee, who had been stabbed five times. He was placed into an induced coma and arrested on suspicion of murder while still in hospital.
Taylor’s family said in a tribute: “Words cannot express the way we feel about losing a much loved son and brother.
“Taylor was a charming, loving and funny young man with a large extended family who supported him throughout his years.
“Our Taylor has been taken from us in such a heartbreaking, devastating way but our faith in God is such that we know the Lord will find a way to turn this tragic incident into something positive. We love you Taylor. Sleep in eternal peace.”
Soyege, Maccabee and a third co-defendant, Paige Taylor, 24, of St Michael’s Road, Basingstoke, were found guilty of robbery of an unnamed victim in Basingstoke on August 31 and conspiracy to rob Taylor and others. On a further offence of possessing a bladed article, Maccabee was found guilty and Soyege was found not guilty.
Their original trial began in March 2020 before it was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.