Men murdered by abattoir workers in Bristol 'house of horrors'

A pair of former abattoir workers who stabbed and butchered two men have been found guilty of both of their murders.

Denzil McKenzie, 56, was tortured and stabbed 23 times at his home in Easton, Bristol.

NHS worker Fahad Hossain Pramanik was also found dead in the house having been stabbed three times. The 27-year-old from London is thought to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Police were called after one of the murderers - Ionut-Valentin Boboc - went home and told his family he and Jacob Bebe Chers had killed two men.

When officers arrived at the Wood Street property on 12 September last year, they found the two bodies on "macabre display" in the sitting room.

Both of the men's bodies had been mutilated following their deaths.

Boboc, 22 and of Abingdon Road in Hillfields, admitted murdering Mr McKenzie but denied murdering Mr Pramanik. Chers, 46 and of Whitefield in Hillfields, denied both murder charges.

Today (7 December) a jury at Bristol Crown Court convicted them both of the murder charges they denied.

They were told they would receive life imprisonment when they are sentenced on 21 December.

• CCTV evidence shows murderers' movements before and after killings

Message exchanges pieced together from Boboc and Mr McKenzie’s phones revealed Boboc had been asking to borrow money from him since at least January 2019.

The court was also told Mr McKenzie had asked for sexual favours from Boboc.

In one message to Boboc, Mr McKenzie said: “If I help you out with half [the money] will you help me out with some things?”

The day after the killings Boboc admitted to his partner and aunt that he had killed a man. and said "another guy" had killed a second man.

They thought he was joking but became concerned the following morning and contacted police.

The men then directed officers to Mr McKenzie's home in Wood Street and officers found the two bodies.

Senior Investigating Officer DCI Mark Almond described the murders of 56-year-old Denzil, and 27-year-old Fahad, as “sadistic, senseless and cruel”.

DCI Almond said: “This has been a highly distressing investigation, especially for the families of Denzil and Fahad, who’ve had to endure the terrible ordeal of hearing how their loved ones were murdered.

"Family liaison officers have been supporting them throughout and our thoughts are with them as they continue to come to terms with their loss.

“The offences carried out by these defendants were sadistic, senseless and cruel. They’ve shown no remorse for their actions and have put the families of the victims through further torment as a result.

“While we may never know why these defendants chose to murder two innocent men, it remains abundantly clear they both have a dangerous propensity for violence and cruelty, and our communities are a safer place with them behind bars.”