A biochemistry student who killed his mother before dressing up in a woman’s pink tracksuit to fool neighbours has been jailed for life.
Nigerian born Emmanuel Kalejaiye, 22, of Wickford, Essex, stabbed his mother to death at their home in September 2013.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard he “drew up plans” to kill Tolu Kalejaiye, 44, “over weeks, if not months”.
He denied murder but was convicted of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility last April.
After delays for psychiatric assessments in a secure hospital, Kalejaiye has been told he will serve a minimum of 15 years and three months.
During the course of his trial, the University of Essex student claimed five masked men had burst into the Wethersfield Way home he shared with his mother and forced him to kill her.
He said the men had forced him to dress in pink clothing and move his mother’s car to a nearby location.
But the prosecution said his intention had been to fool their neighbours into thinking she was still alive and had left for work.
Kalejaiye also ran a separate, partial defence of diminished responsibility on the grounds he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and depression.
Judge Christopher Ball QC described it as “a horrific killing”, adding that mental illness had played a part in Kalejaiye’s actions and he would receive treatment in prison.
Kalejaiye’s defence barrister, John Benson QC, told the court: “It was a horrific incident, harrowing for anybody listening to the 999 call.
“She died in terrible circumstances and he will have to come to terms with taking the life of his mother.”
The jury heard how Kalejaiye, who was born in Nigeria but moved to England as a small boy, stabbed his mother to death on the morning of September 26 2013.
Mrs Kalejaiye, who worked as an accountant for Camden Council, suffered more than 40 stab wounds to her head, face, neck, upper limbs and hands during the frenzied knife attack.
She called boyfriend, Leo Shogunle, on her phone during the attack at around 7.30am – although he only received the message when he awoke later that morning.
The jury was played a disturbing three-minute voicemail in which the mother-of-two can be heard screaming “don’t stab me, don’t stab me – you’re a demon”, before the message fell chillingly silent.
Mr Shogunle raced to the home shortly after 10am on the morning of the attack after hearing the message and let himself in using a spare key.
He was confronted by the bloodied body of his lover lying on the kitchen floor and Kalejaiye, who said his mother had been attacked before fleeing the scene.
Kalejaiye was later caught on CCTV at around 10.30am calmly buying a can of coke and a pack of Maryland cookies at a local post office before handing himself in to police.
During police interview, he signed a confession stating: “I admit killing my mother this morning by stabbing her. I did this because she subjected me to a lifetime of physical and mental abuse.
“She used the Bible to rationalise what she did to me. I believe she manipulated and brainwashed me.
“I have been very depressed for a long time. I have tried to overcome it but I couldn’t take it anymore.”
He later changed his story saying a gang of masked men burst into his home, forced him to stab his mum then threatened him with further violence if he told police.
