Kammar Henry-Richards, also known as Kay-O, has been convicted of murdering 25-year-old Kacey Boothe on August 13, 2022. After the killing, he rapped in a video that the same gun used to kill Mr. Boothe had previously injured Mr. Boothe’s brother two years earlier. Henry-Richards, 26, was convicted alongside three others not only for Mr. Boothe’s murder but also for a conspiracy to murder the intended target, Khalid Samanter. According to reports, Kay-O, was not the one who pulled the trigger and the gunman is still at large. However, Henry-Richards, 26, was jailed for life at the Old Bailey with a minimum term of 37 years for the murder on Tuesday.

Mr. Boothe was shot as he entered his car after attending the first birthday party of Mr. Samanter’s child at the Peterhouse Community Centre in Walthamstow. The court was told that the groups involved were affiliated with rival gangs. Henry-Richards, Ka’mani Brightly-Donaldson, 25, of Romford, and Hackney residents Jeffrey Gyimah, 23, and Joao Pateco-Te, 28, were found guilty of murder in December last year following a trial. They were also convicted of conspiring to murder Mr. Samanter and conspiring to possess firearms with the intent to endanger life. Brightly-Donaldson was additionally found guilty of possessing a prohibited firearm. Another man, Roody Thomas, 27, from Birmingham, admitted to possession of a prohibited firearm, but other charges against him were dropped.

The gun used to kill Mr. Boothe was linked to seven separate incidents between 2020 and the day of the murder. His older brother, Kyle Boothe, was also injured by the same weapon in August 2020. Just days after the murder, Henry-Richards rapped about the killing in a rap video titled Kay-O Laughing Stock. The lyrics included: “Big Boothe and Little got hit, same sig, that’s a sour family. Both got slapped at functions, neck and head, handguns come handy.” The court also heard about an earlier incident tied to the same gun. Eleven days before Mr. Boothe’s murder, Mr. Samanter’s “entirely innocent” neighbor, Abdi-Rahman Jeylaani, was shot while sitting in his car near his home in a case of mistaken identity. Though he survived, Mr. Jeylaani described the enduring impact in a statement: “The pain, indescribable and raw, is a constant companion.”

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Marcia Rowe, the mother of Mr. Boothe, shared in a victim impact statement that her family’s suffering is “endless” and that they must live with it every day. She stated, “This senseless and callous murder robbed Kacey of his dreams and aspirations at just 25, when he had his whole life ahead of him." Expressing a mixture of emotions, she added, “I feel anger, hurt, and pain, and the entire case has deeply saddened me. While I feel relief that some justice will be served and my son’s killers have been caught, part of me feels sorrow for the pain their families and children will now endure. I hope they show remorse and regret for what they’ve done.” Shanice Thomas-Brown, Mr. Boothe’s partner, reflected on the devastating impact on their children, saying they have been “forced to grapple with the harsh realities of life, death, danger, and violence.” She added, “Losing Kacey is the worst thing that’s ever happened to us, but his name will live on in our family. Our children enjoy visiting him at the cemetery, looking at videos and pictures, and cuddling their teddy bear with a recording of his voice inside.”