The merciless slaughter of a young dad by two strangers
As he lay dying on the pavement having been stabbed five times, Ryan O’Connor’s murderers drove back to the scene of his slaughter and mercilessly laughed at him. Here is the story of his murder and the killers who tried to pin the blame on each other to avoid justice. Philip Dewey reports...
RYAN O’CONNOR was from Alway in Newport. He was a father and was described by his family as a “loving and caring person” who was “loved by his family and the local community”.
A victim personal statement from Ryan’s family said: “Ryan was a pleasant, happy-go-lucky character who would do anything for anyone. He was well-loved by all who knew him including family and friends.
“As an individual Ryan always had time for all his relations and got on well with everyone. He was a wellliked character always joking about and loving life. As the youngest of two brothers he would wind his mother up, but would always be her little boy at the end of day.
“He was certainly particular about how he liked certain things being done and it was always the case for Ryan that mum’s way was the best despite others’ best efforts. It is these small things which Sharon says she misses daily – that playful banter and relationship between a mum and her son.
“John, his father, says that he too misses his son deeply, referring to the small interactions the two would share together. Suffering with ill health himself, John longs for the conversations he would have with Ryan in the evenings when he would come in. He misses him asking him for things or even just saying ‘good night’ to him before going to bed. John says that he still speaks to his son most evenings when he is alone but wishes he could hear Ryan talking back to him.
“Ryan also loved the children in his life and they loved him back. He was idolised by his five-year-old niece who constantly talks about her uncle. She has become fearful that others will be taken from her and has separation anxiety worrying and crying about losing other relatives close to her.
“Ryan’s son Teddy also misses his father, calling out for his daddy and looking around for him when people enter the room. Being too young to understand or appreciate that Ryan has been taken from him, the family ensure that Teddy will know who his father was and what sort of individual he was. Ryan was so proud of his son – when he learned that he was going to have a child he would show everyone the scan pictures and always said he wanted a boy.
“When Teddy was born he was overjoyed, however he would never have that opportunity now to see his child grow up, to see what kind of person he was. It was Teddy’s first birthday just after his father was killed and so Ryan never got to share that special day with his son – something which is heartbreaking for us all.”
Ryan’s sister-in-law Lauren Flood said: “Me and Ryan were close and I classed him as my brother-in-law.”
His brother Daniel O’Connor said: “Ryan told me about his new job on the Monday. My brother seemed really upbeat and was looking forward to working again.”
Ryan was due to start a job on the Monday after getting his construction skills certificate and he was going to work on a local site.
RYAN’S FAMILY VISIT
At 7.30pm on June 10, 2021, Ryan visited his brother and sister-in-law Daniel O’Connor and Lauren Flood for food at their home in Aberthaw Road and left at 8.45pm. He was desribed as wearing a black baseball cap, a North Face jacket and tracksuit bottoms.
Lauren said: “When he arrived at the flat, he was quite excited as he had bought some new bag from some boys, a black Gucci man bag which had a black and red strap. It also had a silver buckle and a badge which said Gucci. Ryan told me to smell it and asked me if I thought it was real. He was really pleased about it. All that was in there was two £20 notes.”
Daniel O’Connor said: “He showed me a Gucci handbag he picked up that day. I wasn’t bothered about it, but Lauren took an interest and Ryan asked her if it was genuine and asked her to smell it. He was quite taken by this bag.
“At one point he left the living room for a smoke and chilled with (a friend) and came back at 8pm. He said he was going to the shop to get more bottles and see his friend Squirrel for a few drinks.
“I heard him say, ‘See you tomorrow’, and left the front door at 8.45pm. He had only been at the flat for an hour or an hour and a half. I looked out the front window and watched him move away, heading up towards Aberthaw Road and turning left.”
THE DRIVE TO NEWPORT
The attack on Ryan was not planned by the murderers but they were intent on targeting an unwitting victim who they would stab and rob. Ryan was not known to his two killers, he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, walking from his brother’s home clutching the Gucci bag on his shoulder.
The chain of events began when habitual car thieves Aquilina, then 19, and Elliott Fiteni, then 19, drove out to Risca, in Caerphilly, at 12.45am on June 10 and stole a blue Ford Fiesta ST. They went to Barry to look for more cars to steal but returned to Cardiff at 5am and were again in phone contact at 5.20am.
Later that afternoon, Jeremy, then 17, Kyle Raisis, then 17, and Ethan Strickland, then 18, were together at Strickland’s house in Ely and the trio photographed each other holding large knives, including a 12-inch Rambo machete. At 7pm, there were further calls between Aquilina and
Mr Fiteni and the latter collected the former from his home in Riverside at 7.45pm, before picking up Raisis. Jeremy, Aquilina, Mr Fiteni, Raisis and Strickland were all together at 8.15pm when Jeremy and Strickland were picked up from Strickland’s home.
The occupants of the car, excluding Mr Fiteni, were armed with three knives and wore gloves and balaclavas, as Aquilina drove them to Newport with a view to robbing someone. Some time after 8.30pm, Melanie Holland was sitting outside her home in Sycamore Avenue in Newport when she became aware of an electric blue car containing young men with hoods pulled up and face masks on. She described the occupants arguing with each other and the driver looking “animated”.
THE MURDER
At 8.40pm, Lewis Pritchard was riding his bike along Aberthaw Road when he saw the Ford Fiesta with a police car behind it. It turned right at Lliswerry Stores before heading back onto Aberthaw Road. He described the car slowing down as it passed him and the driver pulled a balaclava down over his face. The car proceeded to a roundabout on Balfe Road as Ryan was walking along the pavement.
Mr Pritchard described the blue Fiesta coming to a sudden halt and the driver got out of the car, dressed in all black and his face covered. As he saw the scene unfold, the witness saw the driver, later revealed as Aquilina, holding a foot-long machete and heard him shout, “Come here”.
Ryan began to run but stumbled and fell as Aquilina brought the machete down and struck him. Ryan put his hands up to defend himself but a second man emerged from the car, much shorter than the driver, but also dressed in all black and carrying an identical machete. He was later identified as Jeremy.
Sophie Frayne was looking out the window at her sister’s flat when she saw three men on the roundabout, one of which appeared to be armed. She shouted, “He’s got a knife, he’s going to stab him”.
Jeremy stabbed Ryan to the front and back before running back to the car with Aquilina, who was wearing a balaclava. Ms Frayne also saw Aquilina kick out at Ryan who staggered a few yards before collapsing near railings. The stolen Gucci bag was passed to Raisis in the car, who kept hold of it during the journey.
Another witness, Chanel Hultberg, also witnessed the attack on Ryan. She said: “I looked out the window again and I saw four or five boys, wearing all black and face coverings, running back into the car. I heard something like, ‘Get him’ or, ‘Get in’. The boys got back into the car and sped off to the top of Alway Hill. My neighbour was in her front garden and I asked what had happened. She said someone had been stabbed and I was confused.
“They were wearing baggy tracksuits and not too short. They had a chavvy walk where they were swinging their shoulders and it was opposite the vehicle. They had full-face coverings and were wearing all black.”
Mr Fiteni, who was now driving the car, was unfamilar with Alway and drove down Vaughan Williams Drive which turned out to be a cul-de-sac. He began arguing with Aquilina, got back into the driver’s seat and turned the car round before driving back down Balfe Road past Ryan O’Connor as he lay in a pool of blood fighting for his life.
By now, Ms Frayne’s sister Joanne Verallo went outside to assist Ryan who was lying on the ground face up. She lifted up his shirt and saw he was bleeding. Ms Verallo and Ms Frayne heard the callous murderers Jeremy and Aquilina laughing and shouting from inside the car, mocking Ryan as he lay dying on the pavement. Jeremy was said to have shouted, “I’m coming back for you and your boy”.
Ms Flood was having a cigarette on her balcony when a man shouted up to her: “Lauren, Lauren, Apple’s been stabbed, get Danny.”
She said: “I got (Daniel) from the shower and he went outside. My friend quickly came and got our child... I still can’t believe what happened.” Daniel O’Connor was in the shower when he heard his partner’s screams.
He said: “She shouted loudly, ‘Dan, Dan, Ryan’s been stabbed.’ I jumped out of the shower still wet and slipped initially. I started grabbing hold of whatever clothing I could get my hands on. Lauren was trying to help me. I was wondering what had happened since he left and ran out of the block of flats towards the roundabout.”
Daniel ran over to Ryan as a man was performing chest compressions on his brother. He said: “I leaned on the floor by Ryan’s head and offered to help. I noticed the hood on Ryan’s top was full of blood, there was a big pool of it at the bottom.
“I saw blood coming from an injury to his right hand. I didn’t know what to do or say, but held his hand. He had been sick and what he had eaten earlier was all over his face.
“He was bare chested as the other man did chest compressions. I could see another injury to the right hand side of his chest and more blood came from this. I tried to apply pressure but it wasn’t stopping.”
PC Bianca Robson was among the first of the emergency services on the scene. She saw Ryan lying on the floor.
She said: “An unknown female was using towels to prevent the loss of blood. I asked the male if he wanted me to take over and I started chest compressions.
“Ryan O’Connor had three stab wounds, two to the left side of his chest and two to the right side. He also had a stab wound to his hand. I continued chest compressions for 45 minutes.”
Paramedic Jason Padagate said there were between 100 and 150 at the scene when he arrived. He said: “I got out a defibrillator and put pads on his chest as he was clearly not breathing. It flatlined which confirmed he was not breathing. I opened his airway and put a ventilator on him. There was a large open wound to the left hand side of his chest and a small open wound to the right hand side of his chest. I was told there was another wound to his back.”
Ryan and Daniel’s mother later arrived at the scene and she began screaming upon seeing her son. Despite the best efforts of medical staff and the emergency services, Ryan was pronounced dead at 9.30pm.
Daniel said: “Everything happened so fast. It seemed like seconds but it must have been longer. Police vehicles turned up and people were asking where the ambulance was. Two people wearing red jumpsuits took over. I walked up to Ryan but I couldn’t see any movement. I was then told Ryan was gone and he was dead.
“I said I had to go and tell my mother. I moved away from Ryan and was escorted away from the taped area. Lauren hugged me and I told her he was gone. Then the shock hit me.”
THE INJURIES
A post mortem examination was performed on Ryan’s body on June 18 and it was discovered that he had sustained a number of sharp force wounds and incised wounds, with the pathologist highlighting five in total. These included: n A 5.6cm stab wound to the upper left chest with an out tract of 13cm in length. It passed through the left lung and into the left ventricle of the heart. n A 1.4cm stab wound to the right flank with an out tract of 19cm. It passed through muscle on the right hand side of the back of the trunk. n A stab/slash/chop wound measuring 5.7cm to the back of the right hand. n A shallow stab wound measuring 2.2cm with a scratch tail of 4cm. n A stab wound measuring 6cm to the back of the right hand side of the chest, with two out tracts communicating with stab wound two. This caused the left lung to collapse as a consequence.
It was concluded the injury to the upper left chest alone could have caused Ryan’s death.
Pathologist Dr Richard Jones said: “This is the most significant of the wounds in this case and on its own would have proved fatal.”
A cause of death was given as stab wounds to the trunk involving lung and heart.
THE CHASE
The Fiesta was driven back in the direction of Cardiff but Strickland took over driving duties in Marshfield. At 9.40pm, the car stopped at an Esso garage in Cowbridge Road East where Jeremy got out and filled the Fiesta with £10 worth of petrol.
As the car reached the A48 in Western Avenue at 9.45am, police spotted the Fiesta and a high-speed chase ensued. Strickland refused to stop and, egged on by his fellow murderers, hurtled at speed down the A48 towards east Cardiff. Jeremy filmed the chase on his phone and someone could be
heard shouting, “Don’t throw the Rambos”.
PC Benjamin Thomas was among the officers in pursuit of the Fiesta.
He said: “I saw the vehicle travelling at speed through a red light. I did a U-turn and attempted to catch up with the vehicle, travelling at 110mph. It was overtaking and undertaking other vehicles. I sought permission to carry out the pursuit.”
A stinger was deployed causing the car’s tyres to deflate and a police car forced the Fiesta into railings in Glyn Collen, Pentwyn. All five of the occupants bailed from the car but Aquilina
and Raisis were apprehended just yards from the car. Aquilina put up a fight and attempted to choke the arresting officer, but he was restrained.
Describing Aquilina’s arrest, PC Thomas said: “I was able to tackle the fourth male to the ground and he began to struggle violently as he rolled across the grass with his arm around my neck in a vice-like grip and I struggled to breathe. He was trying to cause me serious harm or worse. I was joined by another officer and Aquilina loosened his grip for me to free my head. He continued to struggle to get free. As he was suspected of murder and could
have had a knife on him, I took the occasion to strike him repeatedly to the head to distract and subdue him. This had the desired effect and I handcuffed him.”
Jeremy hid behind another car a short distance away but as he was approached by an officer armed with a taser, he livestreamed his arrest on social media. When told he was arrested on suspicion of murder, he replied, “Murder”.
Mr Fiteni and Strickland made their way to the top of a block of flats in Glyn Collen where they were pursued by officers and arrested at 10.12pm. Mr
Fiteni had put his phone through a resident’s letterbox. Strickland was filmed sobbing and told officers, “I was only picked up 10 minutes ago”, but Mr Fiteni shouted, “Keep quiet bro”.
FORENSIC AND TELEPHONE EVIDENCE
A murder investigation was launched and a number of items were sent off for forensic analysis. Two 15-inch Anglo hunting knives were discovered in the Fiesta, one on the middle back seat and the second in a rear nearside passenger footwell. Ryan’s blood was discovered on both blades.
Jeremy was forensically linked to the first knife, a 15-inch Rambo knife, with his DNA profile found on the handle, and Raisis’ profile was found on the second knife. A third blade with a green handle, discarded by Strickland, was discovered at a nearby address.
Ryan’s blood was recovered from Aquilina’s trousers and his DNA was found on Aquilina’s right trainer. The Gucci bag, which was also recovered from the car, was found to contain a DNA profile belonging to Raisis. A cigarette found inside the bag contained a partial DNA profile belonging to Jeremy.
The defendants’ phones were also seized and analysed with police finding photos and videos of Jeremy, Raisis and Strickland posing with the knives, just days before Ryan’s murder. Google searches for knives were also found on Jeremy’s phone. It was also revealed the murder weapons had been ordered by Jeremy on June 8 from the Prepper Shop website. The order was made in his father’s name and delivered to Strickland’s address in Caerau.
THE INTERVIEWS
During the interviews, the defendants sought to accuse each other of stabbing Mr O’Connor and denied being responsible themselves. Jeremy provided a prepared statement in which he denied murdering or attacking Ryan. He claimed he had bought both of the knives for “protection” and had given one to Raisis.
The 17-year-old claimed Mr Fiteni asked to see his knife and gave it to him but it was not returned to him. When asked who the driver was, he did not give a name, but he claimed it was Mr Fiteni and the driver who left the car while he, Raisis and Strickland remained inside.
Aquilina answered “no comment” to
all questions but provided a prepared statement saying he did not murder Ryan. Mr Fiteni put the blame on Jeremy, claiming the teenager was laughing. He said his co-defendant was holding a bloodstained knife and shouted, “I yinged him, I yinged him”. He also claimed Jeremy and Aquilina shouted, “We have got his Gucci bag”.
Strickland also denied his involvement in the murder, telling officers “I feel the other defendants are pinning the blame on me when I didn’t do anything”. He said Jeremy and Aquilina jumped out of the car while armed with knives and chased after Ryan.
He said when Jeremy got to the car, he was “laughing and joking” and said Aquilina had told him he had “chopped the man’s finger off ”. Raisis denied murdering Ryan and getting out of the car.
When on remand in custody, Jeremy was recorded speaking to his father on the telephone and was heard telling him he should have been “kept in jail” as a result of his previous conviction. He added: “They stuck me in Machen before banning me from Cardiff. What did they think I was going to do, it’s a f ****** joke... you get the support in jail when it’s f ****** too late... another way
the system has failed... they shouldn’t have let me out, this is what I said.”
Jeremy was also heard telling another caller he “didn’t give a toss” about Ryan’s death and he “needed his head checked”. He also told his father, “Hopefully I’ll get a psychiatric report and plead guilty by diminished responsibility.”
THE TRIAL
A trial began at Newport Crown Court in January, 2022, and lasted more than two months.
Prosecutor Michael Brady QC said: “At 9pm on Thursday, June 10 of last year, Ryan O’Connor, a 26-year-old from Newport, was attacked, stabbed and robbed of a Gucci bag while on a grassy area of the Aberthaw Road roundabout in Newport. The stab wound proved fatal and he died at the scene within minutes of the attack. All five defendants, say the Crown, are all responsible for the robbery and his murder.
He added: “It’s our submission when you have heard all the evidence in this case you will be satisfied so you are sure all the defendants are guilty of robbery and murder.”
During the course of the trial, the defendants turned on each other with Jeremy claiming Aquilina and Mr Fiteni jumped out of the car but could not look to see what they were doing.
Aquilina blamed Jeremy for stabbing Ryan and claimed he stopped the Fiesta and left the vehicle after seeing a police car and did not want to be caught in a stolen car. Mr Fiteni directly told the court Jeremy was the person who killed Ryan. Raisis and Strickland chose not to give evidence.
On Tuesday, March 15, the jury found Jeremy guilty of murder and robbery and found Raisis guilty of manslaughter and robbery, but not guilty of murder. Aquilina and Strickland were found guilty of robbery, but Strickland was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter. On Wednesday, March 16, Aquilina was found guilty of murder. Mr Fiteni was found not guilty of murder, manslaughter and robbery and was acquitted of all charges.
The sentencing hearing took place on Wednesday, April 13, during which Jeremy was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 24 years. Aquilina was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years. Raisis was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. Strickland is yet to be sentenced having pleaded guilty to drugs charges in a separate matter.
Speaking after the trial, Ryan’s family paid tribute to their son and brother and revealed Ryan’s father had died during the course of the trial and never saw justice.
A statement read by Ms Flood said: “Our lives changed forever on Thursday, 10 June last year. The outcome today and the sentences that will follow will never bring Ryan back.
“Ryan’s tragic death has left us broken and those responsible will never realise the impact their actions have had on our family, which will never be the same again. It is of some comfort that these violent and dangerous individuals are now off the streets and not able to inflict on anyone else the pain and heartbreak we feel every minute of every day.
“We’re constantly faced with reminders of Ryan and what happened that night. We miss him so much and he is forever in our hearts and minds.
“Ryan’s dad, John, sadly passed away during the course of this trial. John’s condition deteriorated following Ryan’s death – it impacted him greatly and he was never the same after Ryan was cruelly taken away from us. He never got to see justice done for his son.
“This has been such a difficult time for us all but the support of our local community of Alway has been a great comfort and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank them. We’d also like to thank Gwent Police, especially the officer in the case and family liaison officers, the prosecution and all of the witnesses who have bravely stood up and given evidence in support of the case on behalf of Ryan.
“Without them we wouldn’t have got to the position that we are now in. While there are no words that can bring Ryan back to us, we hope that the outcome of this trial will now give us the hope for a fresh start and to move forward in our lives. #Alway.”