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A man and a woman have been convicted of the first known murder in Britain using a poison known as “devil’s breath”.
Adrian Murphy, 43, was found dead in his south London apartment in June 2019 after being attacked by Joel Osei, 25, via the dating app Grindr.
Murphy, a champion dancer, received the poison, also known as scopolamine, in a soda from Osei. Subsequently, Osei and his accomplice, Diana Cristea, 18, attempted to buy more than £ 60,000 worth of valuables from a New York jeweler with Murphy’s credit card.
Crispin Aylett QC, the prosecutor, told the Croydon Crown court that the drug was known as “devil’s breath” in Colombia and was said to be “popular with thieves and rapists” to incapacitate its victims.
A second man, a 40-year-old man from Walthamstow, east London, was also attacked by the couple days earlier, but survived and helped police identify his attackers.
Osei used Grindr to lure the men to meet him, intending to drug and rob them, believing they would be too embarrassed to tell the police. Cristea would receive the goods to sell.
Pathological testing for Murphy, who was found dead in his Battersea apartment on June 4 of last year, identified the poison in his system and traces were found on a nearby beverage can.
CCTV captured Osei walking towards the property and, two hours later, coming out with a bag full of stolen goods. Osei called and texted Cristea 23 times while she was in and around the apartment and then handed her a stack of laptops, phones, bank cards, a designer purse and wallet, and clothing.
The Walthamstow victim was also mugged. Police found items belonging to him and Murphy at Cristea’s address in Tottenham, north London.
The CIA has explored scopolamine, which is derived from nightshade plants, for possible use as a truth serum.
DCI Robert Pack, said: “In a callous and calculated plan to make what he saw as easy money, Osei engaged his victims in a social media app with the intent to stun them with a powerful drug and steal their valuables. … Osei’s indiscriminate use of a drug he knew to be dangerous led to the tragic death of Adrian Murphy. Although scopolamine is known to be commonly used in other parts of the world to facilitate crime, we believe this is the first scopolamine-related homicide in the UK. “
Robert, Murphy’s brother, said: “Adrian brought the love and art of dance to thousands of young people around the world. He was an inspiring Irishman, a talented dancer and choreographer. Our family is heartbroken. “
Osei and Cristea face mandatory life sentences. They are due to be sentenced at the Old Bailey on December 14.
Pack added: “We have worked closely with a host of partners in the charity sector and the LGBT + community to help us understand the complexities of this case and reassure those who may have been affected by these incidents. We want to make sure that anyone who has suffered the same knows how to get help and what kind of support there is. “
• Galop and SurvivorsUK are specialized services available to provide confidential advice to the LGBT + community or anyone affected by the issues in this case. To visit galop.org.uk or call Galop on 0800 999 5428. Alternatively, visit survivorsuk.org or call 0203 598 3898.
