Murderer Jailed for Life After Stabbing Influencer During Music Video Shoot
Ellis Heather, a 29-year-old drill rapper, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 28 years for the murder of Stephen Morrison, a YouTube and Snapchat influencer known as Zero Ls. The killing occurred on 23 June 2020 in Epping Forest, Essex, after Morrison stumbled upon a music video shoot featuring pythons and a komodo dragon as props.
Chaotic Final Minutes Before Fatal Attack
Morrison, 24, arrived at Wake Valley Pond car park while filming was already underway. Witnesses described his behavior as erratic, including banging his head on a tree and driving at members of the group. Heather, wearing a stab vest, became enraged by Morrison's actions and stabbed him in the torso during a confrontation. Morrison fled the scene bare-chested and covered in blood, dying at Royal London Hospital two hours later.
Killer Bragged About Murder
Hours after the stabbing, Heather boasted about the crime to friends, laughing while listening to music by Morrison's brother, a rapper known as Morrison. He also recorded a drill song taunting the victim's acquaintances. A woman who had been on the shoot later called 999 after hearing Heather was responsible. She told jurors she traveled with Heather to dispose of the murder weapon and a blood-stained cloth. During the journey, Heather became ill and said, 'this is my first M,' slang for murder.
Investigation and Trial
Police used CCTV and ANPR cameras to trace Heather, arresting him and co-accused Yonas Girma weeks later. Girma was found not guilty of murder and is now a wildlife influencer. Heather was not charged until July 2025, five years after the killing. During the trial, jurors heard lyrics from Heather's songs, including lines about stabbing. He was found guilty of murder in June 2026.
Sentencing Remarks
At the Old Bailey on 17 July 2026, His Honour Judge Lickley KC stated Heather was 'armed with a knife… and had used it to deadly effect,' stabbing Stephen 'without any justification… in a moment of extreme violence' and showing no concern for the victim. Heather was already serving a seven-year-nine-month sentence for firearms offences from July 2023.
Victim's Family Reaction
Morrison's family, including his brother who is also Lauren Goodger's ex-boyfriend, attended court and wept as the guilty verdict was read. The case highlights the devastating consequences of knife crime and gang violence.
