Teenager convicted of knife murder of Jahziah Coke

A teenager has been convicted of murder after stabbing a 13-year-old boy to death in a house in Sandwell.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted of murdering Jahziah Coke at Wolverhampton Crown Court today (4 April 2025) following a trial that lasted four weeks.

A man in his 40s, who was also on trial, was found not guilty of assisting an offender.

The court heard that the teenager stabbed Jahziah on 29 August 2024 following an altercation, before calling an ambulance and fleeing the scene.

When paramedics arrived, they found Jahziah collapsed in the hallway of the house with three wounds to the chest and stomach which had been caused by one or more sharp knives. They attempted to save his life, but he was confirmed dead. The post-mortem examination showed Jahziah’s cause of death as a 15cm stab wound to the chest which had nearly cut off his rib.

The prosecution case against the teenager was that he acted unlawfully and had intended to either murder Jahziah or cause him really serious harm, which amounts to the offence of murder in law, when he inflicted the wounds on him.

CCTV evidence and witness testimony played a significant role in building a strong case against the teenager.

Camera footage outside the house proved the teenager was present in the house with Jahziah at the time he was fatally attacked. The teenager was also captured on CCTV immediately afterwards climbing over neighbours’ fences with another boy to catch a bus to a female friend's house. The 
CCTV did not capture anyone else entering or leaving the house until paramedics and police arrived.

When police searched the house, they found several knives but none of them had any blood on them. The knife or knives used to stab Jahziah had been taken away from the scene and disposed of before the teenager was arrested and there was no evidence any weapons being cleaned in any sink in the house.

The witness testimony from the teenager’s female friend, who also cannot be identified due to her age, further showed that he was involved in Jahziah’s murder.

The female friend said the boy appeared to be "stressed and sweaty" when he arrived at her home and had confessed to her that Jahziah had been stabbed during a row. She told her mum, who called a taxi for him and told him to hand himself to the police, but he didn’t do as he was advised and instead went to get some food.

The jacket that the teenager was seen wearing on CCTV had also been washed to remove any evidence linking him to the killing. His mobile phone has also not been found.

Emily Clewer of the CPS said: “This is a tragic and senseless case where Jahziah Coke lost his life and future unnecessarily to knife violence. 

“The teenager responsible for this offence will now face the consequences of his actions in ways that will irrevocably change the trajectory of his life.

“The CPS worked closely with West Midlands Police to build a strong case that proved the teenager was responsible for Jahziah’s death. Our thoughts are with Jahziah’s family and we hope today’s conviction sends a strong message about the devastating impact of knife crime and how it can destroy lives, families and futures.”

The teenager will be sentenced at a later date.