'Stabbing took one life but shattered 1,000 more'

A year on from Eddie Kinuthia's death, his aunt, Jade Morris (L), and his mother, Ms Muthemba, have spoken movingly about their ongoing sense of grief and loss.

The mother of a teenager who was stabbed to death a year ago has spoken about her grief and the frustration that no-one has yet been brought to justice.

Eddie Kinuthia, 19, was attacked on 21 July 2023 in the Grosvenor Road area of St Pauls, Bristol, just yards from his home.

Irene Muthemba said she still had hope that the mother, or parent, of his killer might have compassion and come forward.

Speaking to the BBC, she said the sense of loss as the anniversary of her son's violent death approached had not lessened and that "as his life ended, my nightmare began".

Ms Muthemba said she was only able to survive the overwhelming feelings of loss after her son's death with the help of supportive family and friends, and her Christian faith

"He was such a happy child. Everybody was always acknowledging his smile and his loving nature," she said.

"I'm always thinking of trying to get over losing my sweet boy."

A year on, Ms Muthemba said the feelings of grief were still painfully raw.

"They don't change. You just have to learn to get up every morning and choose to try because I've got two other kids and they need me.

"I don't know the purpose, you know, of my value as a mother - if I couldn't protect my child and I couldn't save him.

"It's only possible because I'm surrounded by supportive family and friends," she added.

Friends and family, as well as members of the wider community where Mr Kinuthia lived, gathered for a vigil shortly after his death

Mr Kinuthia was repeatedly stabbed, and died in hospital from his injuries.

Despite several arrests, no-one has yet been charged.

Ms Muthemba said it was a constant struggle not knowing who killed her son and she appealed to the perpetrator's family to put themselves in her shoes.

"I'm clutching at anything really with the hope that it's not gonna take forever to find who did this.

"I go over it in my head every time I think about my child and what it feels like to miss him; to miss his smile, to miss his laugh, to miss his voice.

"I just think somewhere there's a mum or a parent who knows their child was involved in this.

"Can they try and put themselves in my place and what would they want if it was the other way round?

"What was done to my son was done to a whole family. Not just a family; my nieces and nephews, his brothers, his friends.

"That one act took one life but shattered 1,000 more," she said.

'We want answers'

Det Ch Insp Mark Almond, who is leading the investigation, said "we are not giving up on Eddie".

"There were so many people in and around Grosvenor Road that night," he said.

"Any one of them may have that final bit of information which could bring Eddie's killers to court."

He said detectives were acting on the information they had so far, but added: "We need to have evidence which will be able to convince a jury beyond all reasonable doubt.

"We're in touch with the Crown Prosecution Service to make sure we have a case which is strong enough to do that.

"We are not giving up on Eddie and we want to get the answers that Irene and Eddie's family so badly need.

"There are people who can help. Please come forward."

Mr Kinuthia's aunt, Jade Morris, said her nephew's death had profoundly affected her family.

"To be in this position it just feels like we're wearing shoes you can't take off and we're never going to take them off.

"Our lives are never gonna be the same again.

"We're always going to be those people who lost their son, their nephew, their cousin. My kids are devastated," she said.

Eddie Kinuthia was stabbed multiple times in St Pauls on 21 July 2023

Ms Muthemba said she believed there should be tougher laws on carrying knives to save other families from the agony she has experienced.

"That's definitely what needs to happen. If you get caught with a knife, the punishment should be tougher because young people think it's just normal to carry a knife.

"I'm doing this because I hope that another mum won't have to go through this because another child will decide, 'You know what, it's not worth it, I don't want to end someone's life and I'm not going to carry a knife, I'm not going to stab someone'," she added.

She also expressed her sincere belief that family, faith and community play a vital role in teaching young people, from early childhood, about how to stay away from crime.

"For me, personally, it's about having a Christian faith, but even if you don't believe, it's about being a human being with basic moral values, and basing your life on love.

"I have a thing about the detachment of this generation, where they don't even value life at all.

"Why end someone's life over some conflict. Why not just understand how precious life is?

"Not only did someone take Eddie's life, which robbed him of his future, they destroyed all our lives," she said.

Eddie was an aspiring musician and performed at Bristol's Love Saves the Day festival.

He had also applied for apprenticeships to train to be a chef to channel his "love of cooking" according to Ms Morris.

Ms Morris and Ms Muthemba appealed in February for people to speak to the police

Ms Muthemba said she had not given up hope that her son's killer would one day be caught, but says she is frustrated waiting for justice.

"I trust the team investigating are doing the best they can do," she said.

"But then I'm stuck on that day [that Eddie died] going over and over it frequently and just wanting a different outcome.

"It's a position you wouldn't wish on anyone, but there is the realization that this is the way it's always going to be and that's really sad.

"I just wait eagerly for the day that I can hear the police tell me that we have something to go on.

"I can't wait for that day."