A man has been found guilty of murdering his girlfriend and three members of her family in a drug and alcohol-fuelled knife attack at their home in south London.
Joshua Jacques, 29, stabbed girlfriend Samantha Drummonds, 27, her mum Tanysha Ofori- Akuffo, 45, and grandmother Dolet Hill, 64, as well as Ms Hill's husband, Denton Burke, 58.
Hours before the killings, Samantha messaged her friend to tell him Jacques was on the brink of a manic episode.
Drug dealer Jacques had admitted manslaughter but denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Prosecutors said the attack in Bermondsey, South East London, in April last year was brought on solely by his use of cannabis. The defence argued it was the result of an underlying mental health condition.
An Old Bailey jury deliberated for two hours to find Jacques, from Minard Road, Lewisham, south-east London, guilty of four counts of murder on Thursday.
Members of the victims’ family expressed relief at the unanimous verdicts, with one saying “thank you, Jesus”.
The defendant looked down and shook his head in the dock as the jury foreman read out each of the four guilty verdicts.
Mr Justice Bryan adjourned sentencing until February 9 and remanded Jacques into custody.
Police discovered a "bloodbath" with Jacques in a praying position calling out "Allah, take me" and "God please forgive me", the court was told.
On the night of the attack Jacques, who had been in a relationship with Drummonds for a few months, allegedly called his mother saying he was "going to make a sacrifice".
Police officers found Mr Burke’s body at the foot of the stairs and the three women “heaped together” in the kitchen.Armed officers discovered Jacques naked and lying in the upstairs bathroom in a praying position, screaming “Kill me now”, “Get rid of me”, and “God please forgive me”.
At a Lewisham Hospital, Jacques later said: “I ain’t even in the wrong, I did them for sacrifice”, and also warned: “I will do something stupid again.”
Prosecutor Tom Little KC said "this is a clear case of murder, or more accurately a clear case of quadruple murder".
He argued Jacques’ ability to form a rational judgment and exercise self-control were not substantially impaired by any psychiatric condition, and his behaviour was brought about by “self-induced intoxication, taking drugs and drinking alcohol”.
He told jurors: “This, we say, led to a transient psychotic disorder not meeting the requirements for the defendant to make out a partial defence of diminished responsibility.”
Jurors were told Jacques had 11 previous convictions for 20 offences, including for cannabis, being in possession of a silver knuckle duster, and robbery.
He first had a mental health assessment in April 2016 after seeking hospital treatment for drinking water from a toilet.
He was arrested after he threatened to stab and shoot a security officer, and, while in police custody, threw food around his cell.
He said he had been taking 3g of skunk cannabis a day and refused to consider cutting down, saying he would carry on smoking marijuana “even if it killed” him.
