Heartbroken mum of murdered boy, 16, tells of 'torture' after horror daytime stabbing

The heartbroken mother of a schoolboy executed by two men has told of the 'torture' she faces following the horror daytime stabbing. Leigha Marshall's son Terrell Marshall-Williams was wounded from behind with a 'Zombie-style' blade when he was ambushed in a 'crack den'.

The 16-year-old was left with eight 'deep' stab injuries, including one which severed his spinal cord and would have 'paralysed' his lower limbs. 'Instigator' Mpho Obi and his 'willing lieutenant' Omari Lauder have since been locked up for more than 50 years for their chilling murder.

Leigha told Wolverhampton Crown Court how Terrell was 'snatched away' from her when he was killed in a 'brutal and unnecessary way'. Taking to the witness stand, she said: "I think about the pain her must have been in, how scared he must have been.

READ MORE: Man threatened to blow up Midlands police station in worrying phone call

Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the BirminghamLive newsletter here.

She added: "It is like torture." The mum described Terrell - who was diagnosed with autism - as a 'unique' and 'complex' boy, who was often 'misunderstood'.

He was well-liked, intelligent and funny, with many 'quirks and difficulties'. Terrell was also a 'talented basketball player' but never got the chance to fulfill his potential, she added.

The mum said: "I will always question why it was necessary to do what they did to him. His life was treated with no mercy, no respect.

"I'm unequivocally changed forever. Losing Terrell in the way we did will leave a permanent wound which I'm unsure will ever heal."

Leigha recalled how she felt 'frustration' and 'anger' in the months after her son's murder, finding she has severe migraines, rashes and is fatigued as she deals with his loss.

She has been so unwell since the killing that she has been unable to return to work. She said: "I don't believe words exist that even begin to convey the devastating effects Terrell's death has had on me or his siblings.

"The moment we knew Terrell was gone, a piece of us left too. There is simply a void left by his death that causes pain and distress for many.

"Every morning I wake up to what feels like a nightmare. If I'm lucky, I see him in my dreams." She added: "The longer I go without him, the more it hurts."

The mum now often worries that other members of her family will be harmed and has 'heightened fears' about losing her three other children, the court heard. Leigha said: "They have a mother who simply isn't the same anymore.

"They are all now changed forever. Losing Terrell will be with them for the rest of their lives, no matter how much they grow from his loss.

"We grieve for Terrell, we grieve for the life he should and could have had." Killers Obi, 23, and Lauder, 24, were jailed for Terrell's murder on Monday, July 1.

Obi, of Strathfield Walk, Wolverhampton, was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 28 years. Lauder, of Wolverhampton Street, Darlaston, was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 24 years.

They used a 'vicious' machete, which had been hidden under a coat, to fatally wound their victim in Warnford Walk, Merry Hill, on September 18 last year. Sentencing, Judge Michael Chambers KC said the killing related to a 'dispute' over drugs and was 'akin to an execution'.

Obi - a 'significant' class A drug dealer in Wolverhampton - even sent a message to a friend almost 'immediately after the murder, 'boasting' of his kill, he added. The pair denied murder but were convicted by jurors on a majority of 11-1 in May following a three-week trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

They were also unanimously convicted of possession of an offensive weapon. Obi admitted possessing with intent to supply heroin and cannabis ahead of the trial, while Lauder was acquitted of the same charges.

Read more on the case here.