A man who stabbed his partner 17 times after she said she wanted to end their relationship has been found guilty of murder.
Leon Murray, 35, of no fixed address, murdered Keisha Christodoulou, 32, on 1 November 2022 a day after she said their relationship was over.
Murray had travelled to their flat in Deptford, south-east London, where he stabbed Christodoulou 17 times.
He then changed his clothes and went to pick up their six-year-old daughter from school.
On arrival, he told a staff member that “it is done” and that he had “ended” Christodoulou. School staff called 999, as did Murray.
Officers attended the flat and found Christodoulou on the living room floor. Despite efforts by emergency services to save her, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
A postmortem gave the cause of death as sharp force trauma to the chest.
The Metropolitan police said Murray was found guilty of murder on Friday after a trial at Wood Green crown court.
Despite his admission to killing Christodoulou, Murray’s defence claimed diminished responsibility.
However, the jury accepted the prosecution’s argument that the defendant had no substantial impairment of his responsibility and that he knew what he was doing.
He will be sentenced at the same court on Monday.
DI Adam Clifton, who led the investigation for the Met, said: “Murray’s horrific response to Keisha deciding to end their relationship is as senseless as it is selfish.
“Throughout the investigation and trial, Murray has tried to paint himself as a victim. The verdict of the jury shows that they rejected this.
“The level of violence used in the attack is utterly shocking and our thoughts remain with Keisha’s family and friends, particularly her three young children whose lives will never be the same.
“Tackling violence against women is one of our top priorities and we will continue in our efforts to bring dangerous perpetrators like Murray to justice. I would encourage anyone suffering domestic abuse to seek support.”
