A man who claimed he stabbed his girlfriend and three of her family members to death as a “sacrifice” has been found guilty of their murders.
Joshua Jacques, 29, was fuelled by a mix of drugs and alcohol when he attacked Samantha Drummonds and her family in their home in Bermondsey, south London, early on 25 April last year.
Police found the bodies of Ms Drummonds, 27, her mother Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, 45, grandmother Dolet Hill, 64, and Ms Hill’s partner, Denton Burke, 58, after they were alerted to a disturbance by a neighbour.
Jacques left a “bloodbath” in his wake when he attacked the victims with a knife and police found Mr Burke’s body at the foot of the stairs and the three women “heaped together” in the kitchen.
After Jacques launched his attack, Ms Drummonds called his mother Norma Derrivere but all she was able to say was “Norma he’s sta… sta… ahhh”.
Armed officers discovered Jacques lying naked in the upstairs bathroom in a praying position screaming “Allah, take me!”, “kill me now”, “get rid of me”, and “God please forgive me”.
Later, at Lewisham Hospital, Jacques said: “I ain’t even in the wrong, I did them for sacrifice.”
He also warned: “I will do something stupid again.”
He had admitted their manslaughters but denied murder on the basis he was mentally unwell at the time.
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An Old Bailey jury found Jacques guilty of four counts of murder after two hours of deliberation on Thursday.
Members of the victims’ family expressed relief at the unanimous verdicts, with one saying “thank you, Jesus”.
The defendant looked down and shook his head in the dock as the jury foreman read out each of the four guilty verdicts.
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Mr Justice Bryan adjourned sentencing until 9 February and remanded Jacques into custody.
