Cold-blooded killer Morin-Briton jailed for life in London after brutal car park murder

A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal and unprovoked murder of 32-year-old Theo Porteous in a Battersea car park nearly two years ago.

Earl Morin-Briton, 36, of Rosehill, Sutton, was convicted on Friday, 6 June at Kingston Crown Court of murder and possession of a knife.

He was handed a life sentence on Monday, 9 June, with a minimum term of 27 years before being eligible for parole.

The court heard that the attack occurred on Saturday, 24 August 2023, when Theo was seated in his car in a residential car park in Nine Elms, Battersea.

Morin-Briton approached and spoke to him through the driver’s window. When Theo stepped out of the vehicle, Morin-Briton drew a knife from his shorts and stabbed him three times — in the face, neck, and back — before fleeing the scene.

The Met Police reports that passers-by who witnessed the horrifying assault rushed to Theo’s aid.

Emergency services, including police and paramedics, responded swiftly, but Theo tragically succumbed to his injuries.

Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley of the Met’s Specialist Crime South team, who led the investigation, said: “Morin-Briton murdered Theo in an unprovoked and senseless attack in broad daylight. Theo had no idea he was about to be attacked so viciously.

“Our team combined rigorous investigative work with vital CCTV footage, which not only captured the attack but helped trace the killer’s movements across buses and trains. This ultimately led to his identification and arrest.”

Morin-Briton was apprehended on 1 September 2023 at an address in Norwood and charged the next day.

The conviction brings some measure of justice to Theo’s grieving family, who had to endure the distressing details of the case in court.

DCI Jolley added, “While nothing can bring Theo back, I hope this verdict offers his loved ones a sense of closure and reassurance that a dangerous individual is no longer free to harm others.”