The widower of a mother-of-two who was killed in a drive-by shooting outside a wake has delivered a chilling five-word message to her murderers, telling them: "It is not too late."
Background of the Tragic Incident
Michelle Sadio, 44, was gunned down outside the River of Life Pentecostal Church in Willesden, north London, on December 14, 2024. On Wednesday, Perry Allen-Thomas, 27, and Amir Salem, 20, were jailed for life for her murder and the attempted murders of two men who were injured.
Statements from the Family
As the defendants sat in the dock, Mrs Sadio's husband called her a "pillar" and her father said she was "everything." In a statement read to the court, Jean-Marie Sadio said: "The ones who were behind what happened that night can never know what they have done. I have forgiven them because the future has to be my focus for the sake of my children. I cannot have our son and daughter growing up with hatred in their hearts and bitterness for something they don't have any power to fix."
Addressing the defendants in the dock, he said: "Today, you stand guilty before all but, most importantly, you stand forgiven. Do not burden yourself with guilt but an unquenchable and determined desire to change. If you succeed in this, you would have repaid society." Mr Sadio said it is too late for his family but not too late for the defendants, saying: "Amir and Perry, please use time to reflect, choose wisely and become – become the dream your parents and loved ones always longed for you to be. Their pain must also be unspeakable."
When speaking about his bond with his wife, he added: "Michelle was the one to go to for advice. She was the pillar. The one always to be relied on. She was the friend and partner you would wish to have in your life. Without her here I know that half of me is gone. I know I am broken and I will never be the same man again."
Father Young Ekpenyong explained that his daughter's middle name translated to "God's gift," and this is what she meant to him. In his statement, Mr Ekpenyong said: "Our daughter was everything. Her middle name meant God's gift… We now live as if she is simply away somewhere, travelling. The stress of the loss has been immense for us all." Referring to her murderers, he said: "These boys have killed part of our lives. Our lives can never be the same."
Brother Alfred Ekpenyong told the defendants: "No sentence will ever make it right, my brother and I will never see our sister again. Your names are permanent stains on those who loved and cared for Michelle. I hope you reflect deeply now." Another sibling, Rocky Ekpenyong, added: "These boys have ruined this family. I think about Michelle every day. I am angry, I am angry a lot."
Friend Lilian Vasamoa, who knew Mrs Sadio since primary school, described her loss as "like a dream." She said: "She was truly an angel. I constantly have flashbacks and don't even think that I have started to grieve. Events that happened on that night still feel like a dream."
Impact on Children and Sentencing
Mr Sadio also described the pain his children have felt since losing their mother and how they "struggle every day without her." In a televised sentencing, Mrs Justice McGowan handed Allen-Thomas, from Wembley, north London, a minimum term of 38 years. Salem, also from Wembley, who was 18 at the time, was given a minimum term of 26 years for his lesser role.
