Oldbury murder: Teen found guilty of stabbing 13-year-old Jahziah Coke to death

A teenager has been found guilty at Wolverhampton of the murder of 13-year-old . Jurors convicted the youth, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, of the murder of Jahziah Coke by a 10-2 majority verdict, after deliberating for more than nine-and-a-half hours over three days.

A month-long trial was told Jahziah, 13, died at a house in Oldbury, on August 29 after suffering a six-inch deep chest wound inflicted with severe force which almost completely cut through one of his ribs. Around 20 minutes after being given a majority direction by the judge, jurors found the youth guilty of and cleared a man aged in his 40s of assisting an offender by harbouring the juvenile defendant.

The youth sat in the well of the court beside his mother. He showed no emotion as he watched the verdict being returned by the foreman of the jury.

Jurors were told the victim was found dead in the hallway of the house, close to the foot of a staircase, by paramedics responding to a 999 call made by the defendant.

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Forensic evidence, included diluted blood found on a kitchen chair, suggested an attempt had been made to “clean up” something or someone after the killing. Sentence in the case and a ruling on a press application to lift reporting restrictions has been adjourned until June.

After the verdicts, Mrs Justice Tipples thanked jurors for their hard work and attention to the case, and excused the panel from future jury service for life.

The judge told the jurors: “This, as you well know, has been a tragic case in which a 13-year-old child was killed.”

Prosecutors had alleged the , who had denied murder and an alternative count of manslaughter, caused Jahziah the 15cm-deep chest wound.

He also inflicted two injuries to his stomach “where the knife has gone in and the other is where the point of the knife has come out”.

The defendant told the jury last month that he was left traumatised after grabbing Jahziah’s hands while being threatened with a knife, which he twisted towards the floor.

He also told jurors that he did not have the knife in his own hands and had dialled 999 to summon paramedics, only leaving the property once he believed Jahziah was dead.

Paying tribute in a statement distributed by , his mother said: “Jahziah was a very polite, kind and family-orientated young man.

“He was very loving and always smiling. His smile would light up the room. He was very kind-hearted.”