Brighton kitchen worker guilty of murder of Serxhio Marku

Francesco D’Agostino has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Serxhio Marku in Brighton in September last year.

Following a trial lasting just over three weeks at Brighton Crown Court, the jury found Italian kitchen porter Francesco D’Agostino, 45, of Stafford Road in Brighton, guilty of killing 21-year-old Serxhio Marku. Fellow kitchen worker, Giuseppe Petriccione, 46, from Arienzo, near Naples in Italy, who also faced a charge of murder, was found not guilty.

Serxhio, originally from Albania, was found seriously injured in a flat in Stafford Road, Brighton, in September 2019. He was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital where he was pronounced dead. He had suffered multiple blunt force and incised wounds, after a sustained attack.

Judge Christine Laing QC sentenced D'Agostino this morning to a life sentence with a minimum of 22 years, saying she was satisfied it was a pre-planned attack.

Body cam footage shows the moment of D'Agostino's arrest.

Detective Superintendent Alex Geldart, who led the investigation, said: