Mill Hill murder: Pair guilty of double killing after debt dispute

Two men have been found guilty of a double murder following a dispute over a £15,000 debt.

Shkelqim Paja, 36, and Arber Fesko, 30, were stabbed to death in Mill Hill, north-west London, on 19 December 2019.

Mr Fesko's body was found in the boot of Mr Paja's Mercedes in Barnet, while Mr Paja was discovered in a hedgerow six miles away in Elstree, Hertfordshire.

Kiziku Tuwizana, 33, and Besnik Berisha, 43, were convicted of murder.

Prosecutor Jane Bickerstaff QC told the Old Bailey trial that Mr Paja had fallen out with Berisha who owed him money and the debt included a "substantial" outstanding loan in excess of £15,000.

The court heard that on 3 December, Mr Paja texted Berisha: "Hey mate, I need the money".

On 18 December, Mr Paja arranged to meet Berisha and texted him: "Do you have any intention to give that money or not?"

Ms Bickerstaff told jurors the following day Berisha phoned Mr Paja and appeared to promise to pay back what he owed that night at 20:00 GMT.

That evening, Mr Paja messaged Berisha that he was waiting for him, giving him the postcode of Courtland Avenue, where he was attacked.

Tuwizana's DNA was found on a red pocket knife near a pool of blood while Berisha's was on an empty knife sheaf.

In his defence, Berisha claimed Mr Fesko became aggressive and blamed him for an earlier attempted burglary at his flat and hit him on the head.

He said that others had then attacked the victims with knives.

Tuwizana, who was also convicted of having a firearm with intent, said he was going to Colchester to see his girlfriend when he drove the victim's Mercedes with Mr Fesko's body inside.

He claimed he had suffered a serious knife injury and been knocked out by the victims.

He told jurors he jumped into the Mercedes with the keys in the ignition and drove away, unaware there was a body in the boot.

Berisha, of Barnet, north London, and Tuwizana, of no fixed address, were remanded into custody to be sentenced on 16 July.

A third defendant, Bobby Rogers, 30, from Hackney, east London, was cleared of the murders.

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