Pair found guilty of murder
LEFT DAD-OF-FOUR TO DIE AFTER TARGETED HIT-AND-RUN ATTACK
TWO 21-year-old men murdered Carl Eland by driving straight at him as he pedalled on a bike – before leaving him dying in a Middlesbrough street.
A unanimous jury found Joey Matthews and Brandon Ali guilty of murder after just three hours of deliberation at Teesside Crown Court on Friday afternoon.
The pair were in Ali’s Vauxhall Insignia when they drove past drugs rival Carl Eland, 37, out cycling on his bike in Pallister Park, on August 21 of last year.
Mr Eland’s girlfriend, Kassi Weir, was riding on his handlebars – the couple were on their way to a beautician’s appointment for Kassi before a christening they were due to attend the following day.
Within seconds, Matthews and Ali had made a U-turn.
They drove directly at the cyclist, mounting the kerb and catapulting him into the air.
Miraculously, Kassi Weir came away with minor injuries but her boyfriend lay bleeding on Homerton Road.
Ms Weir testified that Carl was left covered in blood, with the dad-offour being pronounced dead days later. He had sustained fractures to his skull.
The two-week trial heard that Matthews and Ali were embroiled in a drugs turf war with Mr Eland.
One witness, who has since died, told police that Matthews and Ali were selling crack cocaine in North Ormesby. Mr Eland was a convicted drug dealer.
Matthews and Ali had bought the car that they used to kill Mr Eland the day before on August 20, from a private seller in Thornaby.
Ali, who had no licence, bought and sold cars and claimed he sold the car on to homeless man Bradley Grimes, just hours after buying it.
But police found Bradley Grimes out begging, he knew nothing of the white Vauxhall Insignia and was oblivious as to why Ali had put his name on the V5 document.
Matthews and Ali were captured on CCTV buying the car from a seller in Thornaby.
Both men repeatedly lied to the police, denying that they had been in the car at the time of the crash, at 9pm on August 21.
Both men chose not to take to the witness stand in their murder trial, as the prosecution’s evidence mounted up against them.
Yesterday, Matthews, of Newcomen Green, Longlands, in Middlesbrough and Ali, of Dalwood Court in Hemlington, were in HMP Durham with sentencing likely to take place next Friday.
The family of Carl Eland have been left devastated at his death.
Speaking after the verdict, his mother Leona said: “As a family we are broken and as a mother I feel lost, my heart and soul are broken.”
“Carl’s girlfriend Kassi can’t move forward in any way, she feels so lost without him. My son was murdered and my best friend taken away from me forever. I will never see my only beautiful son again.
“My only life that I now have left is my grandchildren and they are so important to me. I don’t know how my grandchildren will cope without their dad, they will never be able to see or hear him ever again.
“When my son sadly passed away not only did he save Kassi’s life that night but he then went on to be an organ donor and saved three more lives.
“I’m so proud of my son in every way possible and we always looked out for each other.
“Carl was kind, loving, funny and very generous to everyone. He had a heart of gold, he was very proud of his children and he loved his family and friends. His dogs were his passion and he cared about all animals.
“I’m going to miss his smile and our chats that we had.
“He was my only chance for happiness and this has been taken from me.”
Detective Inspector Iain Pearson is from the Homicide Team at Cleveland Police. He said: “While nothing can sadly bring Carl Eland back, we hope that the verdict today helps the family to move forward with their lives.
“Carl’s family and friends have shown tremendous strength and resilience throughout the whole investigative and judicial process.
“Their pain and suffering has been unnecessarily prolonged through the lies and deceit told by Joey Matthews and Brandon Ali, yet despite this those close to Carl have composed themselves respectfully.
“This verdict would not have been possible without information or support from the community and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the local community for assisting us with our investigation.
“Information from members of the public is key in any investigation and anyone who does come forward with information to assist can be assured that they will be thoroughly supported by specially trained officers throughout any process.
“Cleveland Police detectives and staff from the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team are extremely committed to their work and it has been a privilege to witness their devotion in getting today’s result for Carl’s family and friends, for Kassi and the local community.”