The mother of a 15-year-old boy stabbed to death with a zombie knife in south-east London has said he was “his brothers’ keepers” and had “the biggest heart”.
Daejaun Campbell cried out “I’m 15, don’t let me die” after being attacked at Eglinton Road, Woolwich on September 22.
Three young men have been charged with his murder, with the first, Jacob Losiewicz, 18, appearing at the Old Bailey on Monday.
Speaking to ITV News London, Daejaun’s mother Jodian Taylor said she rushed from one hospital to another trying to find her son after being told of the stabbing.
She said: “I got to King’s [College Hospital] and his name still wasn’t there.
“Two police officers turned up and they said Daejaun wasn’t coming home – he passed away.
“He wasn’t ready to leave us, he wasn’t ready to go – his final words said it all.”
A ban on owning zombie-style knives and machetes came into force two days after the stabbing.
Ms Taylor said she celebrated her birthday on September 27 by visiting the scene of the attack with her support group, where she “had a little cry” and “just felt him [Daejaun] there”.
She added she was trying to be strong for Daejaun’s two younger brothers and grandmother following his death.
Speaking about Daejaun, she said: “He was my baby. He was his brothers’ keepers. He was his grandma’s everything.
“Anyone who knew him could tell you that he had the biggest heart.”
Ms Taylor continued: “I’m going to miss his ability to make me laugh. The way he would comfort me. I’m going to miss his moments with his brothers.
“Most of all, I’m going to miss his cooking. He was very good at cooking.”
In a hearing at the Old Bailey on Monday, prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC said the killing came amid “tit-for-tat violence with all the hallmarks of a turf war”.
During the attack, Daejaun was fatally stabbed in the thigh and also suffered injuries to his hands and a wound to the head, the court heard.
A plea hearing for Losiewicz, of Church Manor Way, Abbey Wood, has been set for December 16 with a provisional trial from June 9 next year.
Marko Balaz, 18, of Sewell Road, Abbey Wood, and a 17-year-old youth were both also charged with Daejaun’s murder on Monday and are expected to appear at the Old Bailey later this week.
