Romario Opia, 15, was stabbed to death in Holland Walk on the afternoon of January 25, 2021.
O’Neil Cameron was found guilty of manslaughter on Wednesday, June 8, after a trial at the Old Bailey.
Cameron, 19, of St John’s Way, Islington, admitted stabbing Romario but pleaded not guilty, claiming self-defense. He had previously pled guilty to possessing an offensive weapon.
On the night Romario died, a second 17-year-old was also present. He also admitted to possessing an offensive weapon but cannot be identified due to his age.
Romario and the 17-year-old had known each other for some time, according to the court. They were both members of a gang that formed in the Holloway neighbourhood in early 2020.
An internal conflict eventually led to Romario and others leaving the main gang and forming their own splinter group.
Romario had been cycling with two friends near his home in Holloway on the afternoon he was killed.
At the same time, Cameron, 17, and a third male who had not been charged with murder were walking nearby.
Both groups carried large ‘zombie’ or ‘Rambo’ style knives.
CCTV footage shows the 17-year-old removing what appears to be a knife from his home before passing it to Cameron, who conceals it in his waistband.
Romario and his two friends approached the group as they walked down the road a few minutes later.
Threatening words were exchanged between the two groups, according to witnesses.
With the exception of the third member of Cameron’s group, who stood back at a distance, their knives clearly visible to onlookers, they converged on each other.
Cameron is seen on CCTV swinging his large knife at Romario, striking him in the chest. He collapsed to the ground and died there a short time later.
Others involved in the altercation fled the scene, throwing knives nearby that forensics later linked back to them.
Cameron was wearing slider style flip flops during the incident, despite the cold January weather and snow on the ground. Unsurprisingly, one had fallen off.
According to an examination of his phone, he sent a friend to retrieve it from the crime scene, which he was able to do.
The slider, however, was later discovered in Cameron’s washing machine, along with the other from the pair and two socks, one of which was noticeably dirtier as a result of him fleeing shoeless on one foot.
During the same search, a large knife with his DNA on it was discovered in the back of a cupboard.
“There are no winners in this case,” said Detective Sergeant Brian Jones of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command. It was a senseless killing, not a sophisticated one.
Romario’s family is dealing with unimaginable grief after the tragic loss of a loved one so young in life, and I admire their strength.
” O’Neill Cameron’s family is also struggling as they come to terms with the fact that their loved one faces incarceration and a criminal record that will follow him for the rest of his life.
“These are the consequences that young men who arm themselves with knives that look like weapons in a movie, fueled by misguided ideas about loyalty and disrespect, never stop to consider.”
“A mindless but brutally violent encounter between feuding groups that lasts only seconds can have a lifetime impact.”
Unfortunately, they are the same circumstances we have seen play out across London far too many times before, which is why the Met continues to prioritise combating violent crime.
We’re cracking down on repeat offenders, removing weapons from the streets, and directing resources to hotspots of violence where they’re most needed.” When the worst happens and lives are lost as a result of violence, we will use every resource available to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.
