THE family of Eddie King Muthemba Kinuthia, who was fatally stabbed in St Paul’s a year ago, have issued a new appeal for information.
It happened in Grosvenor Road just before 11pm on Friday 21 July 2023. Within weeks, three men were arrested on suspicion of Eddie’s murder, but no one had been charged as the Voice went to print. A magistrate has extended the bail of two of the men, while a third is still under investigation.
Officers from Avon and Somerset police’s Major Crime Investigation Team led by Detective Chief Inspector Mark Almond are continuing to investigate. A review of hundreds of hours of CCTV footage suggests there were around 150 people in the area at the time – but only a third have come forward or been traced so far.
DCI Almond said: “There were so many people in and around Grosvenor Road that night. Any one of them may have that final bit of information which could bring Eddie’s killers to court.
“We are not giving up on Eddie and we want to get the answers that Irene and Eddie’s family so badly need. There are people who can help. Please come forward.”
Eddie’s mother, Irene Muthemba, said on the anniversary: “Surely somebody would know? I’m going over it in my head every time when I think about my child and what it feels like to miss him and to miss his smile and to miss his laughter, miss his voice. And I just think somewhere on the opposite of that there’s a mum or a parent who knows that their child was involved in this.”
Irene believes she will see justice for Eddie: “I’m never giving up on hope. It’s just something that my heart won’t do. I can’t give up. I trust the team that’s investigating this. Even though we’ve had our issues and frustrations about how long it’s taken and the pace of the investigation I trust that they are doing the best they can do. And I just wait eagerly for the day that I can hear them tell me that we have something. That’s the day I wait for and I’m hopeful, I really am.”
Jade Morris, Eddie’s auntie, said: “Just talking about Eddie in the past tense is so difficult, it’s so painful. Our life’s never going to be the same again. We’re always going to be those people who lost their son, their nephew, their cousin.
Police want to hear from you if you:
- Saw, spoke to or messaged Eddie at any time on Friday 21 July last year
- Saw a Sur-Ron electric motorbike being ridden in the St Paul’s or Easton areas between 10.30pm and 11.30pm that night, with either one or two riders
- Have any information which can help us to trace that Sur-Ron bike
- Can help in any other way.
There is a direct phone line into the investigation team – 01278 647 777. There’s also a public online portal: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/5223C72-PO1
You can also call Crimestoppers, which has offered a £20,000 reward for information given through its anonymous reporting system which leads to a conviction. You can contact the charity on 0800 555 111, or online https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information