A Brazilian man diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia has been sentenced to detention in a mental health facility after admitting to the fatal stabbing of a 27-year-old woman from Hyderabad, India, and the attempted murder of her Indian roommate in a shared house in Wembley, London, in 2023. The shocking aspect of the case is that the killer, who was under psychiatric treatment, was deemed mentally stable by UK health services just weeks before committing the crime.
Tejaswini Kontham Reddy from Champapet in Hyderabad had been living with her friends at a residential property in Neeld Crescent, Wembley, a large suburb in north-west London. Keven Antonio Lourenco De Morais, a Brazilian builder diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, brutally murdered Tejaswini and stabbed her roommate, Akhila Janagama, five times at their shared flat.
The incident occurred on June 13, 2023, shortly after De Morais, who had been living in the UK since 2020, was declared stable by mental health services. On that day, De Morais attacked Tejaswini and Akhila as they prepared to leave for work. Akhila, who survived the attack, described the terrifying moment she found Tejaswini lying on the kitchen floor with De Morais standing over her. De Morais then turned on Akhila, stabbing her repeatedly before she managed to barricade herself in her room and call the police.
Tejaswini died from an 11cm stab wound to the chest that penetrated her heart, lung, and esophagus. Akhila, who is now 29, suffered five separate stab wounds and continues to experience pain from nerve damage. The attack has left both families devastated. Tejaswini's family in India lost their financial support, and Akhila is too traumatized to remain in the country or continue her employment.
Akhila expressed her anguish, saying, "I still have permanent marks on my body which remind me of the incident every day. I still can't believe how my life was turned into darkness in such a short space of time... I think about it every day, if there was anything I could have done differently to save my friend Teju."
De Morais had been admitted to Holybourne Hospital in Roehampton on April 14, 2023, and was discharged on anti-psychotic medication on April 20. He was placed in the care of the Merton Home Treatment team, who discharged him to his GP two days later. Despite reporting that he was symptom-free and taking his medication, De Morais stopped taking his medication, which led to his psychotic episode.
Professor Nigel Blackwood, a clinical forensic psychiatrist, testified that De Morais's illness was genuine and not an attempt to evade responsibility for his actions. Blackwood explained, "The lack of insight is part of his psychotic illness. The fact he was not complying with the medication should not be seen as culpability."
De Morais pleaded guilty to Tejaswini's manslaughter by diminished responsibility and Akhila's attempted murder. He was sentenced to a hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983, with a Section 41 restriction order intended to protect the public from future harm. He will be sent to the River House medium secure unit at Bethlem Royal Hospital in Beckenham.
Defense counsel Eloise Marshall KC noted, "The defendant has shown genuine remorse for what he has done. Though he finds it difficult to talk about, he expresses deep regret and shame."
