New Year Murders

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The New Year Murders is the name given by the media to the slayings of Letisha Shakespeare, 17, and Charlene Ellis, 18, who were shot outside a hair salon in Aston, Birmingham, England, on 2 January 2003.

The murders were the result of a violent feud between the Johnson Crew and the Burger Bar Boys. The attacks had been planned as retribution for the murder of Yohanne Martin, who was shot dead as he sat in his Mercedes in West Bromwich High Street in December 2002.

Martin was a key member of the Burger Bar Boys, whose territory included nearby Smethwick and Handsworth. The Johnson Crew were based in Aston and Lozells.

Nathan Martin, the brother of Yohanne Martin, believed the Johnson Crew were behind the killing - in particular a man named "Mr X" (for legal reasons).

While plotting his revenge, Nathan Martin found a willing recruit in Michael Gregory, whose sister Leona had been Yohanne's girlfriend and had a child with him. Martin also recruited Marcus Ellis, another gang member, who was coincidentally the half brother of Charlene Ellis. Gregory was given the job of co-ordinating the hit. He bought a pay-as-you-go mobile phone and used it to negotiate the purchase of the getaway car, a red Ford Mondeo, from a dealer in Northampton. On the afternoon of New Year's Eve 2002 the car was brought back to Birmingham and a window tinter hired to darken the vehicle's windows. The gang did not want witnesses to be able to get a good view of them - a motive the tinter was unaware of.

An opportunity presented itself in the early hours of 2 January 2003. Another member of the Burger Bar gang, Rodrigo Simms, was at a party at the Uniseven salon in Aston, which his cousin Selina owned. The prosecution claimed that Simms spotted several members of the Johnson Crew at the party and guided the killers into position just after 4am.

Earlier that night Jermaine Carty had been taunting members of the Burger Bar Boys in Rosie O'Brien's nightclub in Solihull. Carty was named in court by witnesses as being in the rival Johnson Crew, although he denied being a member. Carty was said to be one of the principal targets when the Mondeo pulled up outside the back of the salon and the attackers fired a "fusillade" of bullets at partygoers, killing the two girls and wounding two others.

The prosecution initially claimed Carty, who was uninjured, fired back at the attackers. He was cleared of possessing a firearm on the night of the shooting.

The assailants had used a Mac10 sub-machine gun, often nicknamed the "spray and pray" because its fierce recoil makes it almost impossible to aim accurately.

After making their bungled attack they drove off and a couple of hours later the getaway car was found burned out. It was some time before Martin, Ellis, Gregory and Simms were arrested and charged with the murders.

When it came to the trial Martin admitted playing a part in buying the Mondeo but said he did not know what the car was intended for. He also denied being a member of the Burger Bar gang and having anything to do with the shooting, claiming he was in bed with his girlfriend at the time.

All men were all convicted by majority verdicts at Leicester Crown Court in March 2005, with the exception of Ellis, who was convicted unanimously.

During the trial another man, Tafarwa Beckford, was acquitted of murder on the judge's directions because the only evidence against him came from a witness who the judge concluded had been lying. Beckford is the half-brother of pop star Jamelia. Another of her siblings, Kairo Beckford, was convicted of a separate murder in Birmingham in 2004.

Ellis, Gregory, and Martin, will serve at least 35 years after being found guilty. Simms will serve at least 27 years – a lesser sentence was imposed on him because he was only 18 at the time of the murders.

Ellis, Gregory, Martin and Simms were also convicted of three counts of attempting to murder Sophie Ellis and Cheryl Shaw. Simms was sentenced to 18 years for the attempted murder charge, to run concurrently, and the remaining three men received 24 years, to also run concurrently.

Ellis, Gregory and Martin were additionally convicted of attempting to murder Leon Harris. Simms was cleared of that charge.