Two men have been found guilty of murdering Amara Toure in Walworth last June, following a three-week trial at the Old Bailey.
Paulinho Paulo, aged 20, from Walton Road in Manor Park, and Dullah Abdullah, aged 21, from Eton Road in Ilford, were found guilty of murder by the jury.
A third defendant, Sultan Chaudhry, aged 20, from High Street South in East Ham, was charged with murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter part-way through.
The court heard how the three friends stabbed the eighteen-year-old from Manor Park to death in June over an “ongoing dispute”.
Police had been called to reports of a fight at Sutherland Walk, in Walworth, just before 5am on Sunday, June 30.
Shortly after Amara appeared at a south London hospital suffering with stab injuries, where he died at 7.23am.
A post-mortem established his cause of death as stab wounds and blood loss.
Police say earlier that night Paulo, Abdullah, Chaudhry and others in their group were all in a fast food restaurant at the same time as Amara and his friends.
The two groups had a confrontation outside, and then split off into different directions.
Amara was chased on foot by Paulo and Abdullah into Sutherland Walk, where he was stabbed seventeen times.
Despite his injuries, he was able to flag down a passing car, whose driver took him to hospital.
The entire incident lasted just four minutes.
The police investigation involved reviewing hours of CCTV footage, analysing phone data and witness statements.
Paulo was charged with murder on July 4, and Abdullah and Chaudhry charged the following day.
DCI John Massey led the investigation that brought Amara’s killers to justice.
He said: “Paulo, Abdullah and Chaudhry have violent and criminal backgrounds and they will now pay the price for their actions.
“A family is now left without a son and they will have to live the rest of their lives with this loss.
“I would like to pay particular tribute to the courage and dignity Amara’s mother has shown throughout this incredibly traumatic time and hope that today’s verdict provides a sense of justice and some degree of closure.”
He said he and his team were “enormously grateful” for the help given by the Walworth community in the course of the investigation.
The three convicted will be sentenced at the Old Bailey in the New Year.