A man suffering from paranoid schizophrenia who stabbed a woman to death at a bus stop has been detained indefinitely.
In May 2024, Jala Debella, 24, attacked Anita Mukhey, 66, in front of passers-by in north London. He stabbed her 18 times around midday before walking away “as if nothing had happened” while people rushed to the victim’s aid.
Judge Philip Katz KC, speaking to an empty dock, described Mushi as “the heart of the family” because de Bella was too ill to stand trial.
At the Old Bailey, de Bella was sentenced to a hospital order under the Mental Health Act, with a restraining order attached – meaning he could be detained for life.
Jala Debella will remain in a secure hospital [Metropolitan Police]
The judge added: “She was a wife, mother and grandmother who was stabbed to death by a complete stranger on a busy main road in north London.”
The court previously heard Debella was addicted to gory online videos and was able to buy a hunting knife over the internet despite living in a home for people with mental health problems.
The knife was delivered to his home in Colindale, north London, and around an hour later he used it to stab Mukay to death, an act that mirrored the violence he had witnessed.
Mushi’s husband Harry said the grandmother of two was “the heart of our family”.
“Her absence leaves a silence that nothing can fill.”
He thanked the “brave public” who reached out to his wife but said the trial had forced him to confront “deeply disturbing” facts about the killer’s psychological evaluation.
In a statement issued after the jury found DeBella guilty of killing Mushi, her family said: “The court heard that a man with severe mental illness was known to services and had been assessed by psychiatric consultants as mentally stable and safe for the community.”
“At the same time, he engaged in escalating behavior outside of these assessments, including acquiring weapons and engaging in extreme violence – behaviors that ultimately reflected the violence he later committed.
“This disconnect is hard to accept. It raises serious questions about how risk is assessed, and whether current models have the ability to detect dangers beyond spoken words in the consulting room.”
The Mukhey family also questioned why Debella was able to purchase weapons online while living in a staffed and registered mental health recovery home.
An investigation into Mushi’s death has been opened and suspended.
Judge Katz said he had no opinion on “regime security” at the home but added: “No doubt others will consider this, hopefully soon.”
Debella’s medical adviser confirmed he had been detained under the Mental Health Act on at least three occasions before the attack.
Debella will remain in custody at Ashworth High Security Hospital in Merseyside.
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