West Midlands Police have now released the identity of a man they arrested and charged with the murder of Jacob Billington and attempted murder of seven other people.
Zephaniah McLeod, 27, of Nately Grove, Selly Oak, Birmingham, stands accused of murdering 23-year-old Jacob and attempting to murder seven other people with a deadly weapon.
McLeod is due to appear before Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, Wednesday morning (09/09/20).
Jacob died after being attacked in Irving Street while enjoying a night out with school friends from Liverpool visiting one of their group who is studying in Birmingham.
A post mortem concluded he died as a result of a stab wound to the neck.
A 23-year-old man, who was seriously injured in Irving Street, remains in hospital in a critical condition. A 22-year-old woman, attacked in Hurst Street, remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital.
Another man, aged 30, remains in a serious condition in hospital, while four others have been discharged.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Munro is leading the investigation. He said: “Since these tragic events unfolded in the early hours of Sunday morning we’ve had a team of officers working non-stop on the investigation.
“Our driving focus is to secure justice for the victims, their family and friends. Our sympathies remain with everyone who’s been impacted by these terrible crimes.
“Our investigation continues and I would urge any witnesses who’ve not yet spoken to us, or anyone with information they feel could help, to get in touch.”
According to reports from The Sun, Zephaniah McLeod, had been jailed for three years in 2017 but was released at the halfway point of his sentence.
After his recall, McLeod served the entirety of his jail term before being released back into the community in April.
He is believed to have first lived in a halfway house in Dudley, West Mids, before moving into a three-bed house in Selly Oak, Birmingham.
McLeod did not need to be subjected to probation controls because he had already served his full prison term.
UNN will continue to bring you updates as the court hearings proceed.
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Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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