A Good Samaritan has recounted the horrifying moment he saw a grandmother collapse to the pavement after being stabbed multiple times at a bus stop in north London, as eyewitnesses gave chilling accounts of the attack at the Old Bailey.
Desperate Attempts to Save a Life
Stefan Dennis described hearing 'screaming and shouting' and noticing traffic had 'come to a stop' before realising the horror unfolding on Edgware Road on May 9, 2024. The 66-year-old victim, medical secretary Anita Mukhey, was allegedly stabbed 18 times by 24-year-old Jala Debella with a hunting knife he had purchased online just days before.
Chaotic Scene Unfolds
Mr Dennis recalled seeing 'a black male' walking away from the scene holding 'something shiny in his hand', describing the attacker's demeanor as vacant and suggesting he 'didn't seem to be of sound mind, as if he was on drugs'. When Mr Dennis saw Ms Mukhey 'drop to the floor' as another woman screamed 'She's been stabbed', he raced over to help.
The witness explained: 'I'm walking up the Burnt Oak Broadway. I can hear screaming, shouting. I figured out something happened. Traffic in the road had come to a stop.'
Mr Dennis described the attacker's departure as 'a nonchalant walk' despite the chaos unfolding around him, noting 'It was unusual considering what was happening'.
Emergency Response and Tragic Outcome
The Good Samaritan ran to a nearby climbing centre to find a first aid kit before returning to administer CPR to Ms Mukhey. 'I did the best I could do', he told jurors, continuing his efforts until police and paramedics arrived to take over. Despite these desperate attempts to save her life, the grandmother tragically died less than an hour later at 12.22pm.
Additional Eyewitness Perspectives
Another witness, Nicole Rosa, was inside New Image Hair Salon when she heard a scream and saw a man 'pulling and punching' a woman. She told the court the attacker punched the victim two or three times before calmly walking away.
Ms Rosa testified: 'When he turned I saw a knife. Everything stopped when I saw the knife. There was a red line on it. It was not punches - he was actually stabbing her.'
The witness wiped away tears as she described going over to help the woman on the floor, admitting 'I couldn't do anything really'.
Further Accounts of the Attack
Marius Cornea was having coffee with a friend approximately 40-60 metres from the bus stop when he became aware of the incident. His friend initially remarked 'Look at that idiot beating his wife', but Mr Cornea soon realised the severity of the situation.
He ran towards the bus stop where people were screaming as the attacker continued to strike the woman's face, neck and upper body. After the woman collapsed, Mr Cornea said 'I was trying to run between cars to get near the woman lying down on the street' before calling 999.
He told jurors: 'I noticed a lot of blood underneath the woman on the floor. I saw a large cut on her neck and chin. I realised it was not beating, it was stabbing.'
Forensic Evidence and Legal Proceedings
The court heard that Debella had lived in a Colindale residential home supporting people with mental health problems. Just three days before the killing, he successfully purchased a hunting knife with a sheath from an online retailer, with the weapon delivered at 10.44am - almost exactly an hour before the first 999 call about the attack.
Police later recovered an identical blade from a bin where the defendant was seen throwing something away, with DNA analysis linking the knife to both Debella and Ms Mukhey. Bloodstained Nike trainers recovered from Debella's room were also allegedly found to contain Ms Mukhey's DNA.
Jurors have been told that Debella is too unwell to attend court, and their task is to determine whether he committed the act alleged against him - that he killed Ms Mukhey. The trial continues as the court examines the disturbing details of this violent attack that has shocked the local community.
