Yahoo Finance ‘Devil’s Breath’ killer who laced dancer’s Coca Cola with drugs in robbery plot is jailed
A robber who murdered an Irish dance champion with a can of Coca Cola laced with a drug dubbed “The Devil’s Breath” has been jailed for life.
Joel Osei, 26, targeted Adrian Murphy using the gay dating app Grindr before knocking him unconscious with the drug scopolamine in a plot to steal his valuables.
Mr Murphy, who had underlying health problems, unwittingly took a massive dose of the drug and was either dead or dying when Osei left his Battersea home.
The killer then went on a spending spree with Mr Murphy’s bank cards, including an unsuccessful attempt to buy £80,000 of diamonds, the Old Bailey heard.
Osei was convicted of the murder of Mr Murphy alongside his teenage girlfriend Diana Cristea, who dubbed him a “weird satanic wizard” as she encouraged his crimes.
They had earlier targeted another man who was robbed after his orange juice was laced with scopolamine. He was also knocked unconscous but survived the attack.
Today, Mr Justice William Davis sentenced Osei to life in prison with a minimum term of 32 years.
“You murdered Mr Murphy for gain, which is self-evident because after you killed him you committed fraud using his property”, he said.
“You quite deliberately went out and put men’s lives at risk, simply for your own gain.”
The judge said he was sure Osei knew the drug - rare in this country - could kill as this fact had been prominent in material the killer had looked at online prior to the robberies.
“You gave Mr Murphy quite deliberately a significant dose of a drug which you knew could cause death”, he said.
The trial heard how Osei used a fake name on Grindr to scour for victims, pretending he was interested in casual sexual encounters.
When he drugged the first victim in May 2019, he stole more than £2,000 worth of property including Ray-Ban sunglasses, iPhones, laptops, and games consoles which Cristea later put up for sale on Shpock.
Two days later, the couple struck again at Mr Murphy’s home, with Osei using Grindr once more to getting into the victim’s home.
The scopolamine drug, which earned its sinister ‘Devil’s Breath’ nickname in Columbia as it is used to knocked out rape and robbery victims, was put into Mr Murphy’s Coca Cola can.
His Louis Vuitton wallet was stolen and later put up for sale online by Cristea, and the couple attempted to buy diamonds through a New York jeweller.
Osei was caught when Cristea called the police to report him. But she was then tied to the crimes by extensive messages and stolen goods at her home.
Paying tribute after the trial last year, Mr Murphy’s brother Robert said a “huge void” had been left in their family.
“The world is full of sameness, but this could not be said of our brother Adrian,” he said. “Adrian brought the love and art of dance to thousands of young people all over the world.
“He made so many loyal friends who are so sad at his untimely passing as he was an inspirational Irishman, who was a gifted dancer and choreographer.
“He was also very funny and made everyone laugh at his hilarious stories. He had the gift of bringing people together.
“Our family is heartbroken that Adrian is no longer with us.”
Osei, from Seven Sisters, was found guilty by a jury of murder and administering a poison or noxious substance to endanger life. He admitted two charges of theft and eight counts of fraud.
Cristea denied but was found guilty of murder, eight counts of fraud and two counts of theft.
Read More
Couple guilty of 'Devil's Breath' drug murder of Irish dance champ
Mother 'tried to poison daughter with mixture of chilli and ginger'
