Joshua Jacques was born on 19 April 1994 in the United Kingdom. Publicly available information about his early life remains limited, with little detail about his family background, education, or personal relationships before the murders. Reports described him as a troubled individual, with indications of instability and prior concerns about his behavior. By the time of the killings, Jacques was 28 years old and living in London. 

In the early hours of 25 April 2022, neighbours in Delaford Road, Bermondsey, south London, reported hearing screams from a three‑bedroom terraced house. Metropolitan Police officers attended at approximately 01:40 and discovered four bodies inside the property: a 64‑year‑old Jamaican woman (Dolet Hill), her 58‑year‑old partner (Denton Burke), the woman’s 45‑year‑old daughter (Tanysha Ofori‑Akuffo), and the 28‑year‑old granddaughter (Samantha Drummonds). All had suffered stab injuries. Police arrested a 28‑year‑old man at the scene and said no other suspects were being sought.

The arrested man, Joshua Jacques, was charged on 28 April 2022 with four counts of murder. The prosecution case advanced at trial described a violent, frenzied knife attack inflicted on family members in their home. Evidence presented at the Old Bailey included forensic and medical evidence about the victims’ injuries, witness statements, and contemporary digital evidence (including the voice note Samantha sent expressing concern about Jacques’s mental state earlier that day). Jacques admitted to causing the deaths in various accounts; during the proceedings he at one point described the killings as a “sacrifice,” but he later advanced a partial defence of diminished responsibility and had previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The jury, however, rejected diminished responsibility and returned guilty verdicts for murder on 21 December 2023.

At sentence on 1 March 2024, Mr Justice Bryan described the crimes as a “horrific catalogue of murders.” The judge imposed life imprisonment with a minimum term of 46 years, meaning Jacques will serve a substantial custodial term before being eligible for parole consideration under UK law.