LONDON MAN JAILED FOR LIFE AFTER BRUTAL RAPE AND MURDER SPREE
A man who raped a stranger hours before murdering his ex-girlfriend has been jailed for life, with a minimum term of 33 years.Marvin Samuels, 31, knifed Sharlana Diedrick 16 times, after raping a woman at Welsh Harp Reservoir in London.
At the Old Bailey, Samuels, of Stonebridge, admitted rape and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to rape, but denied murdering Ms Diedrick.
He was cleared of the charge of attempting to murder the rape victim.
During the trial, the court heard Samuels had attacked the stranger, who resembled his on-off girlfriend, with a bottle and piece of wood before raping her, at the reservoir in Neasden.
He then went on to stab 32-year-old Ms Diedrick, the mother of his son, in a car parked outside his home.
Both incidents happened in September 2012.
Samuels would have continued the frenzied attack if he had not hurt his hand, the court heard.
Sentencing Samuels, Judge Timothy Pontius told him: "These three crimes are all individually horrifying in the extent of the mere brutality with which they were committed." "Taken together, they represent a level of violent behaviour carried out during a period of just a few hours that I have rarely encountered.
"You went out armed with at least one knife that day and by the time you murdered Sharlana Diedrick you had two knives." He then added that the woman "remains so traumatised by the extent she suffered at your hands that she has been unable to describe any of it" and that "it was only six hours or so later that you killed Sharlana Diedrick, the mother of your young son." Samuels showed no emotion as he was told he would serve three concurrent life sentences for the three counts.
He had denied murder, claiming he was not "mentally responsible" at the time.
But the judge said: "I am not of the slightest doubt that you intended to kill her.
"Furthermore, whatever your mental state at present, there is no doubt in my mind that on September 29 last year your mind was not so afflicted as to lessen the culpability of what you did to any extent."
