Murders of Albert Alfonso and Paul Longworth
| Date | 8 July 2024 |
|---|---|
| Location | Shepherd's Bush, London, UK |
| Motive | ambiguous; theft, or fear of getting killed by one of the victims[1] |
| Deaths | 2 |
| Convicted | Yostin Mosquera |
| Verdict | Guilty |
In the late hours of 10 July 2024, two suitcases containing human remains were found on Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, in the South West of England. The suitcases were found by bystanders who stopped a man acting suspiciously. A manhunt soon ensued, with police searching for one person in connection with the remains. The person was identified as Colombian national Yostin Andres Mosquera. Police arrested him on 13 July 2024 at Bristol Temple Meads railway station.[2][3][4]
It was soon discovered that the murders were commited in London where police found victims' missing body parts. In July 2025 at Woolwich Crown Court, Mosquera was convicted for the double murder.
Chronology of events
[edit]On the evening of 10 July 2024, some people leaving a pub in Clifton saw three people struggling to get two heavy suitcases across a street. One witness jokingly asked them, "That looks really heavy, what have you got in there, a body?"[5]
An hour later, a male suspect was reported to the police after acting suspiciously while lugging two suitcases on the Leigh Woods end of the bridge. Having dropped the suitcases, he started running away; he was trailed by a cyclist but managed to escape into woodland. Soon after, police arrived on the scene and a police helicopter was dispatched but did not find the man. The bridge was then closed for all traffic for the entire day[6] and a police tent erected for forensic examination of the suitcases which were found to contain human remains.[7]
On 12 July, it was announced that the victims were two males, and that the murders were committed in a flat in London where additional human remains were found. The murders were classified as a hate crime based on the fact that the victims had previously been in a relationship. In the morning of the following day, a 34-year-old Colombian national Yostin Andres Mosquera was arrested at Bristol Temple Meads railway station.[7]
On 15 July, Mosquera appeared in court charged with murdering two men, Albert Alfonso (62) and Paul Longworth (71) between 8 and 10 July in the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. He was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on 17 July.[8] At the court hearing on 17 July, he was charged with two counts of murder and remanded in prison to appear at a trial set for 14 April 2025.[9] At further court hearings, Mosquera's trial was moved back to 29 April 2025.[10] and was scheduled to last for three weeks.[11]
Trial
[edit]Trial for the double murder began on 29 April 2025. Initially, Mosquera pleaded guilty for manslaughter, but not murder, and only of Alfonso but not of Longworth. The prosecution rejected his plea, meaning Mosquera would face trial over both killings.[6][12]
It was revealed that Alfonso had died from at least 13 stab wounds, and Longworth from at least ten blows to the head.[13] Gruesome details emerged about the way Mosquera murdered Alfonso during sexual intercourse which was recorded on camera.[14] Mosquera was accused of dismembering the victims' bodies and freezing some of the body parts. In order to dispose of them, he hired a van, initially to go to Brighton, before changing the destination to Clifton where he intended to dump them off the bridge.[15] Mosquera was also accused of premeditating the murders and trying to steal from the victims' bank accounts afterwards.[16] But he denied killing Longworth, saying that he was killed by Alfonso.[14]
However, in May 2025 the jury was discharged and the trial stopped because some of the evidence was unclear. A retrial was provisionally scheduled for 30 June 2025, to be held at Woolwich Crown Court in London.[17]
At the repeated trial in July 2025, Mosquera accused Alfonso of raping him, threatening him with harming his family in Colombia, and forcing him to commit sexual acts, the video recordings of which would then be put online. He also stated that he suspected Alfonso had murdered Longworth and that he killed Alfonso preemptively, out of fear that Alfonso might murder him too.[18][1]
On 21 July 2025, Mosquera was found guilty of murdering Alfonso and Longworth. The judge, Mr Justice Bennathan ordered a psychiatric report to be carried out and that Mosquera would be sentenced on 24 October 2025.[19]
Gallery
[edit]-
The bridge was closed for traffic during forensic examination on 11 July 2024[10] -
Police blocking access to the bridge while members of the media await a police statement on 11 July 2024
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Man accused of suitcase murders claims he was 'raped every day'". Border Telegraph. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Manhunt after remains found in suitcases near Clifton Suspension Bridge". BBC News. 11 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ "Clifton Suspension Bridge: Murder arrest after human remains found in Bristol and London". BBC News. 13 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ "Human remains found in London linked to Bristol body parts discovery as police name suspect". Sky News. 13 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ "Bristol suitcase remains witness joked: 'What have you got in there, a body?'". Sky News. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ a b Astley, Oliver (29 April 2025). "Suitcase killer pleads guilty after dumping body parts near Clifton Suspension Bridge". Bristol Post. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ a b Brown, Shannon (18 July 2024). "Clifton Suspension Bridge timeline from the moment human remains were found in suitcases". Bristol Post. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ Elgueta, Adriana (15 July 2024). "Clifton Suspension Bridge: Man in court after men's remains found in Bristol and London". BBC News. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ Kirk, Tristan (17 July 2024). "Trial date set for 'suitcase murder' accused after bodies dumped at bridge". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ a b Seaman, Molly (9 October 2024). "Man appears in court accused of Bristol suitcase murders". Bristol Post. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ Diamond, James (2 December 2024). "Trial date set for man accused of dumping human remains at Clifton Suspension Bridge". Rayo. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ "Man accused of double murder admits killing one man". BBC. 29 April 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "Man's remains were found in suitcase alongside Arsenal towel, court hears". Bristol Post. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ^ a b Cuddeford, Callum (30 April 2025). "Suitcase double 'murder' trial live updates: Man accused of killing 2 men and dumping bodies in Bristol". My London. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ Kirk, Tristan (1 May 2025). "Porn artist danced and sang after 'murdering' couple whose bodies were dumped on Clifton Suspension Bridge". The London Standard. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
- ^ Ng, Ellie (30 April 2025). "Man 'murdered couple before freezing some remains and bringing rest to bridge'". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ "Trial of man accused of suitcase murders collapses". BBC News. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
- ^ "Murder accused says victim threatened his family". BBC News. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Man guilty of murdering two men and dumping remains in suitcases - live updates". BBC News. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
External links
[edit]- "Suitcase killer 'could have staged perfect murder']". BBC News. 21 July 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2025. (in-depth analysis, videos and timeline)
