Three men guilty of murdering Gregory Volquez in Harringay

The 36-year-old victim was stabbed with a machete in the street 22 times

Killers Metumbe, Santana and Kones (left) and (right) victim Gregory Volquez

Three men have been convicted of the murder of Gregory Catillo Volquez following an investigation which spanned the continent.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s specialist crime unit analysed hours of CCTV footage and gathered forensic evidence to locate, extradite and arrest the defendants.

All of this led to guilty verdicts at Southwark Crown Court today (Wednesday 20th) following an eight-week trial.

Benito Ramirez Kones, aged 20 and of De Beauvoir Estate in Hackney, plus Carlos Akum Metumbe, aged 22 and of Lower Clapton Road in Hackney, were convicted of murder alongside Italian national Luiggi Perelli Santana, aged 22 and of Brixton Hill, Lambeth.

Gregory, who was only 36, was tragically pronounced dead in the middle of Tiverton Road, Harringay, at around 5am on Monday, 13th January 2025.

The investigation found that Gregory knew the three men who carried out the violent attack.

Of the three, Kones was detained five days after the attack in Swansea. Kones’ trainers, which were seen on CCTV, were seized upon arrest and forensic evidence confirmed they were covered in traces of Gregory’s blood.

While two of the three killers, Metumbe and Santana, did succeed in leaving the country, the pair were traced to Spain and were respectively extradited by Met officers in August and October 2025.

Both Metumbe and Santana were captured on CCTV reigning blows on Gregory with a machete and crutch.

Gregory’s post-mortem examination stated that he had 22 stab wounds, many of which were caused by a long knife, as well as bruises that were caused by a blunt object. Forensic evidence supported the footage and Santana’s bloody fingerprints were identified on both the crutch and large knife.

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.

“It’s this hard work that is enabling the force to secure a positive outcome from 95 per cent of our murder investigations. I hope that this result offers a morsel of justice and closure of Gregory’s family, who have been left without a much-loved dad, brother and son.”

A fourth man, 21-year-old Gabriel Pineda Gonzales, was found not guilty.

The guilty trio will be sentenced on Friday, 10th July.

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