Damarie Roye: Man found guilty of stabbing teen to death in ‘jealous’ rage over girl

A jealous man has been convicted of stabbing 16-year-old Damarie Roye to death after he couldn’t accept him being friends with his ex-girlfriend, a court heard.

Handout Damarie Omare Roye

The teenager was fatally stabbed as he cycled along Bensham Manor Road, Thornton Heath in July last year.

Byron Whyne, 20, of Grenaby Road, Croydon was arrested in the days after the attack and was later charged with Damarie’s murder.

Croydon Crown Court heard that Whyne became motivated by jealousy, after Damarie became friends with his ex girlfriend, and formed a fatal grudge against the teen.

He was caught on camera on the back of a moped circling Damarie with a knife in his hand before launching the fatal attack.

Damarie ran from the moped, which was making sudden turns to chase him even after he was stabbed, and managed to climb into a passing van with the help of those inside.

It was there they discovered he had a significant chest injury. He was rushed to hospital but later died.

Whyne initially denied being involved at all, but an extensive CCTV search allowed detectives to match him to the clothing being worn by the moped passenger at the time of the murder and to plot the route of the moped from Whyne’s home address to Bensham Manor Road and back again.

The evidence against Whyne was particularly strong. He was on bail for another offence and was wearing an electronic tag which not only registered the times he left his home and arrived back again, but also pinged every time he passed another house with a tagging device monitor installed.

The jury also heard that on the day after the attack, Whyne received a call from his ex-partner where he admitted being responsible for stabbing Damarie.

DCI Jo Sidaway, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “This was a completely senseless attack against a young boy who had his whole life ahead of him.

“He was brutally murdered simply because Whyne could not control his jealousy.

“All our thoughts are with Damarie’s family and friends. They have suffered an unimaginable loss and have showed admirable strength and bravery during this trial.

“My team of detectives worked tirelessly to build this case, using witness statements, CCTV and the data from Whyne’s ankle tag. There was no doubt in the end that he was responsible.

“Tragically, as police officers, we still see too many incidents like this where young lives are violently taken on the streets of London. Tackling violent crime remains our number one priority and we will not rest in our mission to place violent offenders before the courts.”

Damarie’s father Dwayne Roye said the teenager had applied for an engineering course after leaving the Oasis Academy Shirley Park in Croydon.

He added: “Damarie and I were very, very close. I feel as if my heart has been ripped out. He was a kind, respectful boy ... he was never in any trouble with the police, just a few detentions at school, that was it.”

Whyne will be sentenced on April 28 at Croydon Crown Court. A 25-year-old man charged with murder was found not guilty. 

Reference: Evening Standard: Barney Davis