Simon Levy, 40, was told to "rot in hell" as he learned he will die in prison after being handed a whole life term for murdering two women and leaving a third for dead. The unemployed killer raped and killed 53-year-old grandmother Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and 39-year-old mother-of-four Sheryl Wilkins, following a series of police and court failures that left him free to offend. He was also sentenced for the brutal rape of a third woman, whom he left for dead.
Judge condemns Levy's exploitation
Judge Mark Lucraft told the Old Bailey that Levy "ruthlessly exploited" the women for his own sexual gratification. Levy murdered Colombian-born Carmenza in March 2025 and Sheryl the following August, while simultaneously carrying out a string of attacks on women on London's Tube network. His first murder victim was found in a largely abandoned block of flats on the Aylesbury estate in Walworth, South-East London, while Sheryl was killed behind a car park wall near Tottenham High Road, North London. Levy had already subjected the third woman to a brutal rape in the same spot where he killed his second victim.
Victims' families speak out
Sheryl's sister Lindsey Hicks wept as she told Levy he had "destroyed our lives", adding: "I hope you rot in prison for the rest of your life." Reading her victim impact statement, she said: "Sheryl was a beautiful soul who was cruelly taken away. This last year has been the worst year of our lives and the pain you have put us through has been unbearable." Sheryl's mother, Mary Wilkins, said Levy had taken advantage of her daughter's vulnerability, in a statement read by junior prosecutor Kerry Broome. Mary added: "There will never be enough words to explain what it feels like to lose a child. You took away our beautiful daughter Sheryl. She was a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend and a beloved family member. She had four beautiful children."
Carmenza's daughter, Nazly Johana Fuenmayor Valencia, wept as she described her mother as a "beautiful woman" who loved animals. "There's an emptiness that can't be filled," she said. "We have been living a nightmare we cannot wake up from. We don't know why she was taken from us. The rest of our lives will never be the same." She added that her mum was a "truly special person" who gave so much love: "Her kindness, her smile and the love she shared so freely will stay with us forever."
Sentencing and background
Bearded Levy, who wore sunglasses throughout the sentencing hearing, spoke only to confirm his name. He remained impassive a few yards from the weeping victims, standing with his hands clasped as he was sentenced. An onlooker in the public gallery shouted "yes" as the judge said Levy would serve a whole life sentence. Judge Lucraft told Levy: "You are clearly someone who ruthlessly exploits others for your own personal sexual satisfaction." The judge said the killer had a "morbid fascination with sex, rape and crime". Mary hugged and kissed Nazly outside court amid emotional scenes.
Following his conviction last week, it emerged the killer was bailed four times during a year-long reign of terror despite being a convicted sex offender suspected of murder and charged with groping eight women on the Tube. A bus driver's lost Oyster card that gave him free travel around London was not seized when he was arrested four times. Levy, who is partially blind after losing his left eye in a suspected revenge attack for one alleged rape, was found guilty by a jury of two counts of murder, two counts of rape, grievous bodily harm with intent and the non-fatal smothering of the rape victim. He was convicted earlier this year at Inner London Crown Court of 11 sexual assaults on London's public transport network.
