A man who stabbed a woman to death and attempted to decapitate her after she ended their relationship has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 29 years.
Dennis Akpomedaye, 30, stabbed his ex-girlfriend Anna Jedrkowiak in an alleyway in west London on 17 May 2022, having stalked her from his home in Newport, south Wales, more than 130 miles away.
Judge Rajeev Shetty, sentencing at Kingston crown court, said the attack was “ferocious and savage”. “There is no mitigation here. There is no evidence of a mental disorder or disability,” he said.
Wearing a balaclava and with his hood up, Akpomedaye waited for Jedrkowiak to finish her shift at Las Iguanas restaurant in Ealing before following her and her friend to an alleyway. He stabbed the 21-year-old, known as Ania, 40 times, including causing a wound to her neck in what detectives believe was an attempt to decapitate her.
Jedrkowiak’s mother, Danuta, who lives in Poland, said in a statement read to the court: “He, this murderer, is still alive and will be for many more years, despite the fact he took my daughter’s life.” She said the “barbaric” way her daughter died meant her heart “broke with grief and despair”.
Akpomedaye and Jedrkowiak met online in January 2021 and dated for about a year before she ended the relationship. In the weeks before the murder, Akpomedaye tried to manipulate her by threatening suicide and told Jedrkowiak: “We will be together no matter what. I will find you.”
Jack Maskell, 21, who worked at Las Iguanas, was walking with Jedrkowiak when she was attacked. He told the court: “I have been left with indescribable memories that can never be erased. It was dark and cruel. I will never unsee what he did to her.”
Maskell said seeing the killing had left him with “significant emotional problems” such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and feeling regret despite his efforts to save her.
Akpomedaye was hurt during his attack and gave fake names when he went to the hospital for treatment. He claimed he was a sword performer whose trick had gone wrong as a cover for his wounds.
Akpomedaye was caught at Victoria coach station in London trying to return to Wales. Police say he has never shown any remorse for the murder, refusing to answer officers’ questions or attend court for his trial or sentencing.
