Boy, 16, found guilty of killing former friend
Met PoliceA teenage boy who stabbed a former friend with a pocket knife and later confessed to the killing to an online girlfriend has been convicted of manslaughter.
Pharrell Garcia, 15, suffered a single stab wound to the heart in Stellman Close, Hackney, east London, on 23 July 2024.
His killer - who was 15 at the time and cannot be identified for legal reasons - had chased Pharrell and stabbed him, jurors heard. He later told the girl he had killed him by "accident".
The defendant had denied both murder and manslaughter. The Old Bailey jury acquitted him of the first charge but found him guilty of the latter.
The defendant had admitted stabbing Pharrell, but claimed he had acted in self-defence using a multi-tool pocket knife brought by the victim.
As part of the investigation, police interviewed the girl who had been in Nando's with her grandmother when the defendant rang about the stabbing.
She said the defendant called and said "I think I just killed Pharrell", and that he had stabbed him "in the heart by accident" when he had intended to stab his leg.
'I was terrified I was going to die'
The court heard the two boys had been friends but "fell out".
On the girl's account, it appeared that both boys were planning a fight of some sort, jurors were told.
The defendant had claimed Pharrell had "pulled a knife out of his sock" and went to attack him.
He had said he was "terrified" he was going to die and had acted in self-defence to stop him.
The jury deliberated for 15 hours and 39 minutes to reach the verdicts in the case.
Judge Philip Katz KC remanded the defendant into custody ahead of sentencing on 17 April.
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