A drill rapper has been locked up for life for the murder of a new father after falsely trying to pass off incriminating DNA evidence as his twin brother’s.
Javell Hall, 18, and his co-defendant Kofi Abusah, 20, were found guilty of killing rail worker Asante Campbell following a trial at the Old Bailey.
On Friday, they were handed life sentences each with a minimum term of 19 years.
The court heard how Hall had evaded arrest until June 2020 by travelling to Leeds and Manchester.
On the night of the murder - February 29 2019 - Mr Campbell, 24, had kissed his fiancee and their baby daughter goodnight before setting off for a shift.
He had been waiting to meet a colleague at the estate in Hendon, north London, when he was attacked by a group of males, jurors were told.
Mr Campbell was stabbed through his car window and died from his injuries.
In his defence, Hall claimed DNA matching his profile found on the sheaf of a large knife used in the stabbing must have belonged to his twin.
He said: “It’s not my DNA. I never touched that knife. If it’s not mine, it must be his.”
Jurors rejected his claim and found Hall, from Hayes, and Abusah, of Edgware, guilty of murder.
The well-known rapper had a previous conviction for having a large combat knife in September 2016, shortly before his 14th birthday.
At the time of the murder he was on court bail over an incident at a supermarket in which others went on to admit affray.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Campbell’s mother Angela paid tribute to his “infectious presence” and charitable nature.
Mrs Campbell told how he stepped in to play football with a lone boy in a park; supported the family of a suicidal girl; and even dropped a total stranger at the airport.
She said: “All this was done with a smile on his face, with him often saying ‘I just love helping people’.”
Mr Campbell and his “childhood sweetheart” fiancee shared a unique bond, his mother said.
She added: “Her life has been shattered and their exciting plans for the future crushed.
“Their lives seemingly complete with the birth of their beautiful baby girl just weeks before he was taken, he absolutely doted on her.
“It goes without saying that we are consumed with profound sadness that she will never be able to experience the great character of her father or have him by her side at each of her milestones.”
