Ealing Man Found Guilty of Murdering His Cousin

Jury rejects Jahmel Joseph's claims that mental illness caused his actions

Left: Jordan Oliver Rodney. Right: Emergency services on the scene on Claxton Grove. Picture: Facebook

An Ealing man has been found guilty of murdering his cousin and attempting to kill his own brother during a family wake at a house on Claxton Grove near Charing Cross Hospital last summer, following a nine-hour jury deliberation at the Old Bailey.

Jahmel Joseph, 29, of Eaton Rise, was convicted on Wednesday 13 May of murder, attempted murder, possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, possessing a shotgun, and dangerous driving. He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at a later date.

The verdict brings to a close a harrowing case that began on 11 June last year, when Joseph shot his cousin Jordan Rodney, 30, in the eye at close range during a wake on Claxton Grove. He then turned the gun on his brother Omar Joseph, who survived after being struck in the head and hand.

Jordan, a Northolt resident described by his family as warm, funny and deeply loved, died in hospital the following day.

During the trial, jurors heard that tensions had flared earlier in the evening. Joseph, who had been complaining of not sleeping, argued with Jordan before a relative intervened and told him to go home.

CCTV later showed Joseph returning to his flat in Eaton Rise shortly before 11pm. Ten minutes later, a motorbike was seen leaving the area. Prosecutors said Joseph rode back to wards Hammersmith on his black and grey Yamaha, carrying a sawn-off shotgun.

A doorbell camera near the wake captured the sound of two gunshots at 11.15pm, followed by a motorcyclist speeding away.

After the shooting, Joseph returned home, drove to a Buckinghamshire service station to buy a coffee, and later had what prosecutors described as a “bonfire” in his garden.

By the following morning, police were actively searching for him. When officers spotted his red Mercedes in Isleworth, Joseph sped away, triggering a high-speed chase during which around 20 vehicles were damaged.

The pursuit ended when Joseph crashed head-on into another car. He fled on foot through gardens before being arrested in a back garden on Tolson Road. A black bag containing a sawn-off shotgun was recovered nearby, with Joseph’s DNA on the trigger.

Jurors were told Joseph had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was prescribed medication. His defence argued that he was in a psychotic state and believed, unreasonably but genuinely, that Jordan, his family and later the police intended to kill him.

The jury rejected this explanation, finding that Joseph was legally responsible for his actions.

Joseph now awaits sentencing, where he faces a mandatory life term for murder. The judge is expected to set a minimum term at a future hearing.