Leon Douglas has been found guilty of murdering Khalid Marchoud, who was stabbed at a block of flats in Kilburn last December.
Douglas, 45, of Hendon, was convicted at Harrow Crown Court on Tuesday 10 November after a nine-day trial. Mr Marchoud, 40, died in hospital later on the night of the attack. Douglas is due to be sentenced at a later date.
The verdict follows an investigation in which detectives used CCTV, phone enquiries and information from witnesses to trace Douglas after he left the building. Police said he altered his appearance before officers found him four days after the killing.
What happened at the flats
Police were called to Tollgate Gardens at about 9.40pm on Friday 19 December 2025 after reports of a stabbing. They found Mr Marchoud collapsed outside a ninth-floor flat with a serious wound to his abdomen. He was taken to St Mary’s Hospital, where he died that evening.
Witnesses described Douglas arriving at the address to visit a former housemate and demanding to be let in. After entering the flat, he became aggressive and took a knife from the kitchen, the court heard.
Douglas became involved in an altercation with Mr Marchoud, whom he did not know. He followed him out of the property and stabbed him, according to the account presented during the trial.
After the attack, Douglas went down to the second floor and threw the knife from a window. Police said he then climbed onto the roof of the entrance building and jumped to the ground before making his way towards Kilburn High Road.
Investigation and arrest
Detectives traced Douglas on CCTV returning to a property, where he changed his clothes. He then went to a local pub and spent the evening with friends, police said.
In the days that followed, he disposed of the clothes he had worn during the attack, shaved his beard and dyed his hair red. Police said the changes were made as he tried to evade arrest.
Officers located Douglas at an address in Cricklewood on Tuesday 23 December. He tried to escape through a ground-floor window at the back of the property, but officers were waiting outside and arrested him. He was charged with murder on Christmas Eve.
Detective Inspector Sarah Philippe, who led the investigation, thanked witnesses for coming forward and said their help was valuable in building the case. She also said her thoughts remained with Mr Marchoud’s family and loved ones.
What happens next
In England and Wales, a murder conviction for an adult carries a mandatory life sentence. The judge normally sets a minimum term that must be served before a prisoner can be considered for release by the Parole Board; release at that point is not automatic.
A person released from a life sentence remains on licence for life and can be recalled to prison. In the most serious cases, a whole life order means the offender is expected to remain in prison for the rest of their life. It is for the court to determine the sentence in Douglas’s case.
