A mentally ill man has been imprisoned for life after gunning down his cousin and wounding his brother at a family wake. Jahmel Joseph, 29, shot Jordan Rodney in the eye then struck his brother Omar Joseph in the head and hand at a gathering in Hammersmith, west London, on June 11, 2025. The following day, Joseph, who suffers from schizophrenia, fled from police at high speed, crashed his Mercedes into several vehicles and then dashed through gardens to avoid capture.
In his defence, Joseph argued that in his psychotic condition he believed Mr Rodney would kill him. Someone in the crowded public gallery yelled "rot in hell" as Joseph, of Ealing, west London, was escorted from the dock at the Old Bailey on Thursday after receiving a life sentence with a minimum 39-year term.
It follows after the jury had convicted him of murder, attempted murder, having a firearm with intent to endanger life, dangerous driving and possessing a shotgun. Judge Nigel Lickley KC told Joseph: "You have committed crimes of the utmost brutality. You have murdered Jordan Rodney, a person who showed you support and kindness by shooting him in the face at point blank range."
Mr Rodney was shot at close range in the eye and the defendant's brother, who survived, turned his head instinctively at the sound and put his hand up to protect his face. Family members were close by and "it is only by very good fortune that this is not a case of double murder", according to the judge. He added Joseph carried out his crimes "without regard for other people" and put "more lives at risk" as he attempted to flee from police, including mounting a pavement, before the car crashed.
The judge also observed "you have offered no explanation" for your behaviour and there had been some "clear thinking" in his conduct when targeting family members. The judge stated he was convinced Joseph understood that failing to take his medication would bring back the paranoia, which it did, and there was only a tenuous link between his mental illness and his actions.
Earlier, the Old Bailey heard Mr Rodney, 30, had been rowing with Joseph at the wake, with the defendant moaning he hadn't been sleeping. A family member then instructed the pair to quieten down before ordering Joseph to leave. He subsequently mounted his Yamaha motorbike while carrying a shotgun and went back to the wake shortly before midnight.
Following the shooting, Joseph went home and drove his Mercedes vehicle to a petrol station in Buckinghamshire where he purchased a coffee. He returned home in the early hours of June 12 and had a "bonfire" in the garden, the court heard. The pursuit concluded when Joseph's Mercedes smashed head-on into another vehicle and came to rest. Joseph deserted the car and escaped on foot through nearby gardens until he was finally detained in a garden.
Police found a sawn-off shotgun bearing the defendant's DNA inside a black bag Joseph had discarded during the chase. Jurors were informed that Joseph had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was receiving prescribed medication for the condition. His defence was that he was mentally unwell during the shooting and behaved as he did under the "reasonable belief" that he feared Mr Rodney would kill him.
During sentencing, the judge also acknowledged the "moving and dignified" victim impact statements which revealed how the family has been shattered by the attack. The deceased was remembered by his mother Ivinia Rodney as someone who cherished his family who were proud of how "strong and ambitious" he had become. In a statement that was addressed to Joseph, and read out in court on her behalf, she said: "We as a family will never understand why you committed such an evil and horrific crime to our son Jo Jo." She added: "You made sure you took away that love from and and to make that worse Mr Joseph, you committed your evil crime at my niece's wake and have shown no empathy."
Mr Rodney's girlfriend Ashleigh Marshall fought back tears as she spoke of her "amazing, kind-hearted, loving, caring boyfriend" and how his murder has destroyed her family. She said: "I do not feel safe any more in the world. You have not only destroyed me, you have hurt my family. My mum has seen her daughter fall apart and that pain will stay forever." In a letter read in court, Joseph's mother Sherille Rodney said: "Having spoken, he is really confused. However, he accepts that it happened and he is devastated by it." She characterised the murder as a "complete shock", expressing that she could never have imagined he was capable "of such an act".
