Knifeman convicted of stabbing 18-year-old to death in Dartford

Chris Enaruba, 19, knifed Denzel Njemo during an assault on Dartford High Street in the evening of April 14. 

Enaruba had travelled to the area with an associate specifically for this meeting and upon meeting on the High Street he lunged at Mr Njemo with a knife. 

He inflicted an injury to his leg then again in the chest during a resulting fight. 

Mr Njemo died at the scene while Enaruba discarded his jacket and the knife. 

He then went straight to Darenth Valley Hospital for injuries he had sustained during the incident. 

Mr Njemo's 14-year-old sister, Deidre, described him as a “funny, and vibrant person” who would put other people before himself.

She said: “Denzel would ensure other people’s safety before his own.

“He never took anything to heart, he’d make the most out of everything. He was just a very positive person.

“He wouldn’t want people to worry about him, he always put on a positive face. That was just very brave of him.”

Enaruba, of Copper Mead Close in Cricklewood, was arrested in Gillingham the following day and was charged with murder. 

He denied the charge resulting in a trial at Maidstone Crown Court. 

Photo of Denzel Njemo (Image: Contributor)

On Friday (October 27) a jury found him not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. 

He will be sentenced in December. 

The 19-year-old associate that Enaruba travelled to Dartford with was found not guilty of a charge of assisting an offender. 

 Senior investigating officer, Detective Inspector Ross Gurden, said: “Whilst he may never have intended to kill Mr Njemo, Enaruba had travelled into Dartford armed with a knife and he had little hesitation in using what proved to be a deadly weapon. 

 “Ultimately Enaruba’s actions have cut short a young life and devasted an entire family. Mr Njemo attended the local college in Dartford and had plans to attend university. 

“Instead of seeing their son grow older and work towards a career, his parents now have to come to terms with the needless and senseless loss of a much-loved son, and brother to a younger sister.”