Murder of Jon James Casey
| Murder of Jon James Casey | |
|---|---|
| Location | Northampton, England |
| Date | 16 January 2015 |
| Target | Jon James Casey |
| Weapon | Knife |
| Perpetrator | Waijs Dahir |
| Motive | Fight Escalation |
On 16 January 2015, Jon Casey, a 35-year-old father of two, was fatally stabbed in Northampton, England after an altercation. He suffered stab wounds to the chest and died in hospital that evening. The suspect, Waijs Dahir, is believed to have fled the country after the incident, and a £35,000 reward remains for any information given that leads to his capture.
Background
Jon James Casey was born in 1979 or 1980 to Siobhan Bowe and Stephen Casey.[1] He was a father of two at the time and had been living in the Barrack Road / Kingsthorpe area at the time of the incident. Around the same time the suspect, Waijs Dahir, who was 21, attended the University of Northampton,[2] and had been living on Semilong Road, Northampton, with Fatiat Braimoh. He was originally from Coventry. He had no prior offences and there was no indication of any prior motive that may have contributed to the attack.[3]
Attack
On the morning of 16 January 2015, Casey left the house at around 8 am, and was expected to be back home in the afternoon after he had picked his step-daughter up from school. Casey had been in Northampton close to the Lazeez restaurant, shortly before 5.30 pm,[4] and became involved in an altercation with the suspect, as one witness who was at a Co-op cash machine nearby saw one male (Casey) gesturing "come on" to another male (Dahir). As one witness described the incident, "The black guy was punching the white guy with the black object in his hand. Punches to the face, using the black object as a grip to punch with. "The black guy would not leave him alone, he was constantly on him, punching the white guy. "He [Casey] wanted to get away, he was keeping his head down, terrified. He was keeping his head down to protect himself. He was taking a lot of punishment."
Following this Casey abruptly swung at Dahir, after which Dahir claimed he was "getting a tool", according to the witness. Two minutes later, the witness saw the male come back out of his front door on Semilong Road, which made him 'concerned' given the previous comment about "getting a tool". The "tool" turned out to be a large knife, described by a second witness as a "black object" that looked like a "handle of a knife, like a steak knife but bigger".[2] Casey was then stabbed three times with the weapon, after which Dahir fled the scene.[5] Casey was rushed to hospital after which he died of his injuries at Northampton General Hospital later that evening at around 6.20 pm.
Investigation and aftermath
Northamptonshire police immediately investigated, after which they arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of the murder, although he was released shortly after.[6] After Dahir was named the prime suspect it was found that he had travelled to Coventry, after which he fled the country on the same day of the attack. He is thought to have fled to either Kenya or Somalia, the latter of which does not have an extradition treaty with the UK.[7] After this was determined an international warrant was issued for his arrest.[8] An inquest into Jon Casey's death was held in August 2021, after which it was determined that Casey was “unlawfully killed” and described his attack as “viciously stabbed," despite conflicting witness accounts as to who started the altercation. On 16 January 2025 a ten-year anniversary appeal was issued to the public in an attempt to locate him. It was stated, “Although it’s been 10 years since Jon died, his family still carry their grief as if his murder happened yesterday and this is no surprise when you speak to them and understand just how deeply he was loved."[9]
A £35,000 reward has been offered through the independent charity Crimestoppers to anyone who provides police with information that leads to Dahir's arrest.[5]
References
- ↑ "First photo of murder suspect wanted over stabbing of Northampton dad-of-two Jon Casey seven years ago". Northampton Chronicle and Echo. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- 1 2 "Jon Casey death: Coroner rules Northampton father, son and brother was "unlawfully killed"". Northampton Chronicle and Echo. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- ↑ "Victim in unsolved Northampton murder 'has been forgotten'". BBC News. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- ↑ "Ten-year anniversary appeal for information relating to the murder of Northampton father - £35,000 reward". www.northants.police.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- 1 2 "What do we know about killing of Jon Casey in Northampton?". BBC News. 16 January 2025. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- ↑ "Man arrested on suspicion of Northampton murder".
- ↑ Dutton, Adam; Buckler, Liam (16 January 2025). "'Britain's most wanted' spends 10 years on the run as police offer £10k reward". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- ↑ "£35,000 reward as police renew appeal for information 10 years on from tragic murder of Jon Casey in Northampton". Northampton Chronicle and Echo. 16 January 2025. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- ↑ "Anniversary appeal to find prime suspect in 2015 murder of much-loved father-of-two Jon Casey". www.irishamerica.com. Retrieved 16 November 2025.