'Pathetic, sad and weak' Eddie's mum's powerful words to son's 'cowardly' killer

THE mother of Eddie Kinuthia came face-to-face with his killer yesterday - bravely setting out the impact of his crimes and calling on him to encourage his followers to find a better path.

- Tristan CORK

Irene Muthemba, the mother of Eddie Kinuthia, told Zacharia Talbert-Young to tell the young people involved in the postcode rivalry that police say prompted the murder that the attack on her son was ‘deplorable and cowardly’

During a powerful statement made at Bristol Crown Court, Irene Muthemba even asked court staff to remove the monitors in the dock that were obscuring her view of Zacharia Talbert-Young, the man found guilty of her son’s murder, so she could address him directly.

Talbert-Young was found guilty last week of Eddie's murder, along with a guilty verdict for the attempted murder of another teenager early in 2024. He was found guilty for that attempted murder alongside Paul Hayden, 22, who had also stood trial for Eddie's murder, but the jury was directed to find him ‘not guilty’ part way through the trial last month.

Avon and Somerset Police last week told the Post how challenging the case was to bring to court. Irene Muthemba spoke previously at police appeals to find her son’s killers, and began her victim impact statement by telling the court she had waited 858 days since the day Eddie was murdered to tell the court the impact of her son’s murder.

Ms Muthemba said: “For the record I will say your names just this one time, so you can be sure that I am addressing you, Zachariah Talbert-Young and Paul Elijah Hayden. In honour of my son Eddie and for Nathan whom you tried to kill, by the grace of God he survived.

“That Friday night July 21, 2023 was the first day of the schools break, the peak of summer which was Eddie's favourite time of the year, it was just an ordinary day. We would have interacted with each other as a family like we always did and I am especially grateful that I always told him that I love him every day: after every phone call and every time he went out that door. It has always been something I taught my children to do. I truly thank God for that.