A man who murdered and fatally stabbed his wife in the neck before starting a fire to cover up his atrocity in Brixton, south London, has been found guilty.
Amidu Koroma, a delivery driver of Railton Road, SE24, was found guilty of the murder of his wife, Mariam Kamara, at the Old Bailey on Friday, 12 October 2023.
Amidu denied responsibility, blaming his 19-year-old troubled son, whom he claimed killed his mother while re-enacting a scene from the Netflix thriller You.
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During police interrogation, Koroma claimed he was asleep on the sofa and was awakened by a smoke alarm at 3 a.m.
He claimed he ran upstairs, noticed ‘black smoke everywhere’, and shouted his wife’s name to get them out but did not try to enter her bedroom as there was a big flame.
But during the trial, Koroma recounted, claiming his son, Ishmael, had woken him up downstairs, and he had wanted to protect him.
Under cross-examination, accountancy student Ishmael denied being unstable and killing his mother after having a bad parent’s evening.
The jury was told how a murder investigation was launched after the police received a call from Ishmael Koroma, 19, to a house fire in Railton Road on Monday, 24 January 2022.
Koroma had escaped the building with his son, but Kamara’s remain was found dead in the top bedroom.
A large store of jerry cans containing petrol was found in the loft of the house, and the detective found a distinctive smell of an accelerant coming from the vicinity of Ms Kamara’s body.
Police were immediately suspicious after observing that Koroma made little or no attempt to rescue his wife from the burning building after police learned that he re-entered the house at one point to get some clothes for his son.
Investigators also discovered that the fire was started deliberately. A post-mortem examination showed that Ms Kamara’s body, extremely damaged by the fire, had suffered one or more stab wounds to the neck and chest.
There was no evidence of smoke inhalation, which further fueled the detective’s suspicion that the woman had been killed before the fire was set to cover it up.
A Forensic scientist further confirmed that the fire was likely ignited by petrol. A consultant plastic surgeon also confirmed that a burn wound on Koroma’s foot of about 8-9cm could only have been caused by close contact with the fire.
His wife’s blood was also identified on Koroma’s clothing, and burn damage was caused by a transient flame.
Detective Chief Inspector Chris Wood, who led the investigation, said: “This was a brutal murder and an appalling act of violence against a woman.
“After murdering his wife, Koroma then started a fire to cover up his actions. This was a further selfish act which put other members of the public at risk.
“My officers conducted an in-depth investigation into this murder and worked hard to gather a range of evidence which pointed to Koroma as the killer.
“Our thoughts are with Ms Kamara’s family and friends and in particular with her son, who we continue to support through this trauma.
“The Met is committed to reducing violence against women and thankfully Ms Kamara’s killer has been brought to justice today.”
The jury heard how detectives launched a murder inquiry after being called to the house fire in Railton Road in the early hours of Monday, 24 January 2022.
He was also convicted of arson with intent to endanger life.
He will be sentenced at the same court on Monday, 16 October.
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