The mother of a man shot dead at point-blank range in a row over a missing stolen BMW motorbike spoke of her pain at losing a “truly amazing human” as his killer faces life in jail.
Rico Andrews, 21, was blasted in the chest by Joshua Eno on Shuttleworth Road, Battersea, south west London.
A shout of “that’s karma” was heard by witnesses as Eno made off on the back of a moped driven by fellow robber Tyrone Attwood at 9.50pm on October 5 2023, the Old Bailey heard.
After a jury convicted Eno, 25, of murder following a three-week trial, the victim’s mother said: “My son Rico was truly an amazing human.
“He literally had the best sense of humour, quick wit and just made everything funnier. Rico was the most laid-back dude who never took anything seriously.
“People loved being around Rico. He was definitely someone you left feeling happier than before you met.
“Rico should still be here. His life should not have been taken at 21 over a stolen bike that was worth less than £1,000 to his killer.
“Rico’s murder has had a massive impact on not just my life, his siblings lives or the lives of his friends. The community was deeply affected as well. And the outpouring of love and support from strangers has helped restore some faith at a time when all was lost.”
Prosecutor Brian O’Neill KC had told jurors the killing was over a missing BMW motorbike that had been stolen by Eno and Attwood during the course of a robbery at the BMW Battersea dealership earlier that day.
He had said: “That motorbike had been stolen from where they had parked it following the robbery.
“Believing that Rico Andrews had stolen it from them, they sought him out and went to confront him.
“In the course of that confrontation, Joshua Eno produced a firearm and shot Rico Andrews in the chest at point-blank range.”
Eno was arrested outside a probation office days later and a large hunting knife was found in the waistband of his trousers, which he later admitted possessing.
The defendant, from Moffat Road, Tooting, denied murder, claiming the victim was accidentally shot with his own gun in the midst of a struggle.
Giving evidence, he said that losing a stolen motorbike was an “occupational hazard” of being a robber and the gun went off in Mr Andrews’s hand.
He did not tell police the injuries were self-inflicted during a “scrabble” because he feared reprisals if he “snitched” on Mr Andrews, the defendant claimed.
The court was told Mr Andrews had a folding pocket knife in his jacket at the time of his death and was linked by DNA to another Rambo knife found nearby. Neither the gun nor the stolen BMW valued at £19,000 was ever recovered.
On Tuesday, members of Mr Andrews’s family wiped away tears in court as the verdict was delivered following a retrial.
Previously, Eno was convicted of the robbery at the dealership.
The court was told he had also admitted the theft of a Harley Davidson motorbike on the same day.
Eno had further previous convictions for having machetes, making threats to kill and was in breach of a suspended sentence for assaulting a female prison officer at the time of the shooting.
Attwood, 34, from Sheepcote Lane, Battersea, was acquitted of Mr Andrews’s murder following a trial last year.
He was convicted of the BMW robbery following a retrial and jailed for seven years.
Judge Philip Katz KC adjourned sentencing until October 6 and remanded Eno into custody.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil John, who led the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime investigation, said: “As this investigation continued, it was apparent to us that Rico was murdered over a motorbike which Eno had stolen from a high-value dealership.
“Under the view that Rico had stolen the motorbike from him, Eno went looking for him and shot him in the chest.”
