Kristina Ginova, 22, tearfully protested her innocence as police arrested her for the murder of Joanne Penney, telling officers, "I didn't do anything, I didn't do anything, please, I didn't do anything." She added, "That's fine, I can prove where I was. I didn't do nothing." On Wednesday, she and five co-defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment for their roles in the killing.
Life Sentences for All Six Defendants
Joanne Penney, 40, was shot in the heart at point-blank range by Marcus Huntley, 21, outside an address in Llys Illtyd, Talbot Green, on March 9, 2025. Huntley, who pleaded guilty to murder, was the triggerman in what the court described as a clash between rival organised crime groups. The sentences handed down at the hearing were:
- Marcus Huntley: life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years and 146 days.
- Joshua Gordon, 28: life imprisonment with a minimum of 32 years.
- Renaldo Baptiste, 39: life imprisonment with a minimum of 42 years.
- Jordan Mills-Smith, 34: life imprisonment with a minimum of 27 years.
- Melissa Quailey-Dashper, 40: life imprisonment with a minimum of 14 years.
- Kristina Ginova: life imprisonment with a minimum of 12 years.
Arrest Footage Released
South Wales Police released arrest footage for five of the defendants following the sentencing. Ginova was arrested in Leicester the day after the murder. Upon being told she was being arrested on suspicion of murder, she gasped and tearfully pleaded with officers. She claimed she could prove her whereabouts at the time of the killing.
During the sentencing hearing, Mr Justice Fordham told the court that Ginova had a "limited and detached role" of taking Gordon's phone to create an alibi for him. After the murder, she was active in the destruction of evidence, knowing someone had been shot dead.
Rival Drug Gangs Clash
The court heard that the killing was the result of a "clash of rival organised crime groups," one headed by defendant Joshua Gordon, known as the "Rico OCG." Gordon's expansion of his drug-dealing activities into South Wales, specifically Talbot Green, was "not taken well" by a rival group led by Daniel Joseph, known as "Jimmy."
Prosecutor Jonathan Rees KC said during the original trial: "On two occasions in the lead-up to the murder on March 9, 2025, Jimmy and his men had confronted, and humiliated, members of the 'Rico' group when they were in the Talbot Green area." In the days following, Huntley, Gordon, and Baptiste discussed obtaining a firearm and ammunition to "send a message" to their rivals.
Role of Each Defendant
On the day of the murder, Quailey-Dashper knocked on the front door of 10 Llys Illtyd. Mr Rees stated: "The trigger may have been pulled by Marcus Huntley, but the prosecution's case is that each of Joshua Gordon, Marcus Huntley, Jordan Mills-Smith, Melissa Quailey-Dashper, Kistina Ginova are jointly responsible for her murder. They each played their part in the death of Joanna Penney – knowing that they were acting to bring about, or assisting/encouraging others to bring about, at least really serious injury to another person."
Quailey-Dashper was arrested in the back of a police van and, upon being told she was being arrested on suspicion of murder, replied: "Murder?" Huntley, arrested with a hood over his face after being detained by police, asked: "What did you say?" Both Gordon and Mills-Smith remained silent during their arrests.
Baptiste, already a convicted murderer, arranged the murder from his prison cell. He was found guilty of murder and received the longest minimum term of 42 years.
