London police notch another perfect year for clearing homicides

London police laid charges in all of the city’s homicides in 2024, the sixth straight year the force has achieved a perfect clearance rate for killings.

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There were six homicides last year in London, down from eight the previous year, and just below the 10-year average of 6.2 deaths per year.

Five men, one woman and two teenagers face charges ranging from manslaughter to second-degree murder in the killings of four men, one woman and one teenager.

Two of last year’s homicide victims, ranging in age from 17 to 62, died from stabbings, while the causes of death haven’t been released in the other cases, all of which remain before the courts.

Investigators alleged two of last year’s killings were femicide, the killing of women and girls because of their gender.

Laying charges in homicides, considered the most serious violent crime, can bring closure to victims’ families, deter possible future offenders and boost the sense of public safety, experts say.

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The London police major crimes section, the nine-officer unit responsible for investigating homicides, has long stood out among police forces in mid-sized Canadian cities for its perfect clearance rate, with just one death in the last 15 years remaining unsolved.

The most recent unsolved homicide in London is the death of William (Bill) MacPherson, 60, whose body was found in a ravine near the Thames River in Old South on Aug. 10, 2018.

Prior to MacPherson’s killing, the other unsolved homicide is the case of Anthony Manning, 39, who was found shot to death in the bathroom of a Cleveland Avenue apartment on May 8, 2009. Police arrested two men, but released them without charges.

In addition to the decrease in homicides last year, London also recorded a dramatic drop in shootings, with just nine cases of gunfire in 2024, down from a record-setting 28 shootings the previous year.

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2024 London homicides

March 28: Malik Edwards, 21, died in hospital two days after getting into a fight with a man on Richmond Row. Julius Enongene, 47, is charged with manslaughter.

June 22: Cheryl Sheldon, 62, died in hospital after she was found injured in her Wharncliffe Road apartment. Her boyfriend George Curtis, 44, is charged with second-degree murder.

June 22: Abdul (Zeko) Hashim, 18, was fatally stabbed in a parking lot at a Southdale Road townhouse complex. Two 17-year-old males, neither of whom can be identified because they’re minors, are charged with second-degree murder.

July 16: Kuhkpaw Moo, 18, fatally stabbed girlfriend Breanna Broadfoot, 17, and another man before police fatally shot him at his Wellesley Crescent home.

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July 20: Darko Lukic, 48, died in hospital after being found injured near his Base Line Road apartment building. Dauntae Johnson19, and Joseph Veneau30, are charged with second-degree murder. Kerry Bailey54, and her daughter Jamie Lynn Bailey, 30, are charged with accessory after the fact to murder.

Sep 20: Matthew Harp, 39, found dead after London police were called to Mildred Barons Park for a welfare check. Broady Salmon, 29, is charged with second-degree murder. Ashley Taylor, 30, is charged with manslaughter.

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