Teenager locked up for stabbing school friend to death 'by accident' in east London park
20 June 2025, 16:54
A teenager has been locked up after he stabbed a former friend with a pocketknife then confessed to an online girlfriend he killed him 'by accident' as she sat with her grandmother in Nando’s.
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Pharrell Garcia, 15, suffered a single stab wound to the heart in Hackney, London.
His attacker, who was also aged 15 at the time, had chased Pharrell after inflicting the fatal single stab wound, jurors heard.
It was only after the victim collapsed that the boy fled the scene and threw away the knife, the Old Bailey was told.
Members of the public and paramedics had tried to save Pharrell, but he died at the scene at 4.58pm.
The attacker went on to phone a girl, who he only knew online, and allegedly told her: "I think I just killed Pharrell.
"I stabbed him in the heart by accident, but I was meant to stab his leg."
The attacker stabbed Garcia in Stellman Close, Hackney, just before 4pm last July 23.
The court was told the defendant had admitted stabbing Pharrell but claimed he had acted in self-defence.
The teenager, now aged 16, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was found guilty of manslaughter following a trial. He was cleared of murder.
On Friday, Judge Philip Katz sentenced him to 12 years in custody.
Afterwards, Detective Chief Inspector Kelly Allen, of Scotland Yard, said: "Our thoughts very much remain with Pharell's family and friends, who had to relive the last traumatic moments of his young life during the trial after the defendant failed to take responsibility for his actions.
"Somehow the defendant came to be in possession of a multi-tool, which he claimed in court was carried to the scene by the victim.
"The evidence we gathered disputed the defendant's account that he grabbed the multi-tool and delivered a fatal blow to save his life.
"When the defendant became in possession of that weapon he had a choice. He could have walked away, he could've thrown the multi-tool to the floor.
"Instead, he chose to stab Pharell in the heart and then chased him, still armed with the knife, until he saw the victim collapse from his fatal injuries. Instead of rushing over to help his former friend, he fled the scene and tried to dispose of the evidence.
"Our investigation revealed that the defendant had a fascination with knives after we found 43 images and videos from 16 and 17 July alone of him playing with knives."
Detective Superintendent Brittany Clarke, who leads policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, added: "Pharell's death was first and foremost a devastating tragedy for his family and friends, but it also had considerable impact across our local community."
