A man who murdered his pregnant girlfriend after being released from prison on licence has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 42 years. Shaine March, 47, killed Alana Odysseos, 32, at her home in Walthamstow, east London, on 22 July 2024. She was in the early stages of pregnancy with her third child and died at the scene from stab wounds.
March admitted murder on the seventh day of his trial after an expert no longer supported his claim of diminished responsibility. The court heard that hours before the killing, March had argued with Odysseos about whether to abort their unborn child, with the victim heard to say: 'I don’t want to kill my baby.'
Jurors were not told that March had a previous murder conviction. In January 2000, aged 21, he fatally stabbed 17-year-old Andre Drummond in the neck at a McDonald’s restaurant in Denmark Hill, south London. He was released on a life licence in early 2013 but recalled to jail later that year after stamping on the stomach of another pregnant girlfriend. He was released again in February 2018.
The court heard that Odysseos knew about March's murder conviction, and safeguarding checks had been made by probation services. However, when March said their relationship had ended amicably, no further checks were made. Prosecutor Louise Oakley argued for a whole-life order, given the 'exceptionally high' level of offending, but Mr Justice Murray rejected this, noting that March may never be released due to his age.
Odysseos's mother, Karen Cronin, described her daughter as 'beautiful, kind and loving' and called March 'evil and a coward'. Her sister Jasmine Yates said: 'You took more than one life that night. You took Alana, you took the baby she was carrying... I fear if you are ever released you will kill again.'
Detective Inspector Aytac Necati said March had been unhappy with the pregnancy news, leading to an escalation in controlling and coercive behaviour. Odysseos was found outside her home by members of the public, bleeding from multiple stab wounds, and shouted: 'Shaine stabbed me, he stabbed me. Help, help.'
