One half of international jewel thieves Los Rolos is jailed for 33 years more than a decade after ‘brutal’ murder of accomplice in row over £35,000 haul of watches from rich London homes
- Gonzalo Andreas Gomez-Remolina, 36, murdered two men in Clapham
- He killed Colombian Carlos Ayala-Cormona, 28, and Ruben Furente, 30, of Spain
- The jewel thief was convicted at the Old Bailey today of double murder
An international jewel thief who murdered two men with his brother to settle a feud over the loot from a raid has been jailed for 33 years.
Colombian Gonzalo Gomez-Remolina, 36, and Christian Mauricio Gomez-Remolina killed compatriot Carlos Ayala-Cormona, 28, and 30-year-old Spaniard Ruben Fuente on June 5 2007.
Mr Ayala-Cormona was stabbed 30 times in a frenzied knife attack at his flat in Muller Road, on the Clapham Park Estate, south London, where he lived with his family.
Mr Fuente managed to escape to a landing between the fourth and fifth floors, leaving a trail of blood behind.
Colombian Gonzalo Gomez-Remolina (pictured above), 36, and brother Christian Mauricio Gomez-Remolina murdered two men in Clapham to settle a feud over the loot from a raid
The Spaniard’s injuries from the initial attack slowed him down and the Colombian brothers inflicted eight wounds to kill him.
Forensic scientists found a blood-spattered crime scene after the two men were knifed to death in the communal stairwell.
Christian Gomez-Remolina killed himself at HMP Highdown awaiting trial for the murders.
Gonzalo Gomez-Remolina remained at large until he was traced to a Mexican jail cell in 2010 and extradited back to the UK to be charged with the killings in January of this year.
Carlos Ayala-Cormona (left), 28, and 30-year-old Spaniard Ruben Fuente (right) were killed on June 5 2007. Mr Ayala-Cormona was stabbed 30 times at his flat in Muller Road, on the Clapham Park Estate, south London. Mr Fuente managed to escape to a landing between the fourth and fifth floors but the Colombian brothers inflicted eight wounds to kill him
He was convicted by a unanimous verdict by an Old Bailey jury today of the double murder after 17 hours and 3 minutes of jury deliberations.
Mr Justice Andrew Edis then sentenced him to a life sentence with a minimum of 33 years in prison.
Judge Edis said: ‘This was a brutal execution and Ruben was an innocent bystander.
‘He had done you no harm whatsoever but you cut him down to assist you in avoiding detection.
‘You are a career criminal and you have never done an honest day’s work in your life.
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‘You fled the country to Mexico to evade detection and continued your life of crime there.
‘In my judgement there is no mitigation in regards to these offences.
‘The sentence of this court is life imprisonment.
‘The family of both victims are still mourning their loss and Carlos’ mother watched her son die before her eyes.’
The international jewel thief (pictured above) was seen on CCTV footage leaving the country, after a row over £35,000 worth of stolen watches and a set of Napoleonic coins. He has now been jailed for at least 33 years at the Old Bailey
Gonzalo sobbed in the dock as Judge Edis passed sentence.
Members of Fuente’s family were weeping at the back of the courtroom as the foreman gave their decision and victim impact statements were read.
Carlos’ mother, Patricia Delgado Carmona, told the court in a victim statement: ‘Carlos loved life and everything it had to offer.
‘He was an everyday happiness and contributes to this with his love, devotion and kindness.
‘He was the eldest of five children so he took on the responsibility with helping me to raise his siblings, making sure they would not take the wrong path.’
Ruben’s sister, Emilia Rodriguez Fuente, said to the court in a statement: ‘Ruben died two days away from starting a new life.
‘He was here in London to collect his bags and go back to Spain to set up a business.
‘He was the youngest of seven children and as my father said there was no accident or illness. He wasn’t a bad person who lived a dangerous life.
‘Because of this my family have been robbed of a happy life forever.’
Prosecutor Brian O’Neill QC said the Remolina brothers were ‘international career criminals’ from Bogota and were known as ‘Los Rolos’.
He told the court: ‘The evidence reveals there was a significant plan to kill Carlos, that was hatched a few days earlier.
‘Ruben was unfortunately with Carlos at the time and therefore was killed as well.’
The brothers carried out the murder in an act of revenge against Mr Ayala in an escalating feud over the spoils of a jewellery raid.
‘Just a few days before this incident they attacked Carlos Ayala and Ruben Fuente in the carpark of a B&Q store on the Old Kent Road by trying to run them over in their vehicle,’ Mr O’Neill explained.
The brothers carried out the murder in an act of revenge against Mr Ayala in an escalating feud over the spoils of a jewellery raid. (File photo)
Gonzalo claimed that they had intended a peaceful meeting with Carlos Ayala-Cormona on the night of the murders and had not anticipated any violence.
The defendant said he and his brother were taken by surprise when Ayala attacked them with a knife in his right hand.
‘What a lie,’ said Mr O’Neill.
‘How in hell could this man not anticipate that a meeting with Carlos would not result in violence, especially after the incident in the car park two days earlier, and the phone calls and threats to kill.
‘Violence was the only outcome imaginable for a meeting between either brother and Carlos.
‘Of course, by his account, his brother knew where and approximately when this meeting was going to take place.
‘Remolina had to tell you that he did not anticipate any violence because otherwise it looks like a plan to come together to commit murder.
‘He said it was to his surprise that there was Carlos and Ruben were at the Estate.
‘The defendant and his brother were lying in wait to ambush and murder Carlos.’
The morning after the murders the brothers and their girlfriends fled the country by Eurostar to Paris on separate trains.
Christian Gomez-Remolina was arrested in Spain on June 28 2007 with his pregnant partner and a haul of stolen jewellery.
He was extradited back to the UK but killed himself before his trial could take place.
Mr O’Neill said there were no eye witnesses to the killings and no murder weapons have ever been recovered.
But he said scientific evidence links Christian to the scene while Ayala appears to have identified his attackers with his dying breath.
Gonzalo Gomez-Remolina, of no fixed address, denied but was convicted of two counts of murder.
He will serve 33 years in prison before being eligible for parole.
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