Two men found guilty of murdering rapper in his own home

Phoenix Lee, 20, and Sheldon Mckay, 25, were found guilty of murdering Alinjavwa Siwale and committing grievous bodily harm with intent at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday, September 6. Both men, of no fixed address, denied their involvement throughout the trial.

Aspring rapper Alinjavwa Siwale was stabbed multiple times in his home in Affleck Road in the town on Friday, December 11 2020.

Mr Siwale was found fatally injured in the kitchen of the house shortly after 12.15am and was later pronounced dead at the scene.

A second man had been stabbed at the address and jumped over a neighbouring fence to get help. He was taken to hospital for treatment.

When officers arrived on scene, they found the front door had been forced open and began searching the Greenstead area.

Just after 3am, police received a call from a house just over half a mile away on Teal Close reporting someone had been knocking at the back door of a property for several hours.

An officer from Essex Police Dog Unit was first on scene, and detained McKay in the garden of the property.

Sheldon McKay has been convicted of the murder of Alinjavwa Siwale (Image: Essex Police)

He was arrested on suspicion of murder, and his blood-stained clothes were seized.

McKay was later forensically linked to the DNA of the victim via his clothing.

Further enquiries led to the arrest of Lee.

Phoenix Lee has also been convicted for the murder of Alinjavwa Siwale (Image: Essex Police)

Essex Police detectives had gathered CCTV footage showing the pair forcing open the front door of the property on Affleck Road at around 12.12am on the night of the murder.

Just three minutes later, the second victim left the property to get help from a neighbour, while Mr Siwale lay fatally wounded in the kitchen.

Senior Investigating Officer Julie Gowen, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “Lee and McKay have been cowardly throughout this investigation.

"They’ve, unforgivably, deprived Alinjavwa’s family of the truth about what happened on the night of his murder.

“Throughout the investigation my team have worked tirelessly, carefully piecing together the movements of those responsible for this horrendous crime and ensuring early arrests were made.

“Alinjavwa was killed in his own home. It was a place where he worked on his music, where he spent time with his son and his brothers, where he should have been safe from harm."

The pair will be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on October 11.