Jefferey Wiafe stabbing: Brooke Turrell cleared of murder

Jefferey Wiafe was stabbed in the chest

A woman has been cleared of murdering an alleged drug dealer after a judge ruled there was insufficient evidence against her.

Brooke Turrell, 20, from Milton Keynes, had denied killing Jefferey Wiafe, 22, who was stabbed in Carradine Crescent on 31 December.

She now faces a single charge of assisting an offender.

Her co-defendant Tyriq Alowooja remains on trial at Luton Crown Court accused of murder.

Judge Charles Gratwicke directed the jury to acquit Ms Turrell after her defence team argued she had no case to answer.

During the trial, the court heard Mr Wiafe had driven to the the Oxley Park Estate at about 15:30 GMT to collect drugs being stored for him at a flat in Carradine Crescent, while another alleged drug dealer, Mr Alowooja, and his girlfriend Miss Turrell, drove there to supply drugs to a woman.

The jury heard Mr Wiafe had driven to the estate to collect drugs

Mr Alowooja, 20, of Vellan Avenue, Fishermead, told the trial Mr Wiafe was accidentally stabbed four times during a violent struggle.

He said after the woman collected her drugs he had started to drive away when Mr Wiafe came to his front passenger door and pulled him out and reached down towards his waistband.

Seeing a knife in Mr Wiafe's left hand, Mr Alowooja grabbed the handle, the struggle continued, and they both "kind of pulled it out of the waistband", the defendant said.

"I was trying to pull it away from him and he was trying to pull it towards him and away from me," he said.

The court heard that during the ensuing struggle Mr Wiafe could have sustained two wounds to his thighs and an injury to his left arm as Mr Alowooja was able to release the knife from Mr Wiafe's hand grip.

Mr Wiafe then swung the defendant into the back of his car by the fist that held the knife and it was after that he realised that Mr Wiafe had "sustained an injury" which he thought was in the belly area.

Mr Wiafe sustained four wounds and died in hospital later that afternoon from a deep stab wound to his chest.

Mr Alowooja told the court he had not taken any of Mr Wiafe's customers but had been told his drugs were better than those of other dealers.

He denies murder. The trial continues.