In a case that has shocked both London and Bristol, Yostin Andres Mosquera, a 35-year-old Colombian national, has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 42 years for the brutal murders of Albert Alfonso and Paul Longworth. The details of the crimes, which unfolded in the summer of 2024, have been described by the presiding judge as "premeditated and thoroughly wicked," and the investigation has left even seasoned detectives deeply unsettled.
The grim sequence of events began on July 8, 2024, in Shepherd's Bush, west London. Mosquera, who had struck up an online friendship with Alfonso as early as 2012, was invited to England by the couple. Over the years, their relationship had evolved into a transactional one, with Alfonso paying Mosquera for increasingly extreme sexual videos and, eventually, for his company in London. According to BBC News, Alfonso and Longworth, civil partners who had later split but remained close, welcomed Mosquera into their flat. It was a gesture of trust and generosity that would end in tragedy.
On that fateful day, the violence began with Paul Longworth, 71, who was attacked by Mosquera and struck thirteen times on the back of the head with a hammer, shattering his skull. The body was then hidden in a divan bed. Later that evening, during a filmed sex session, Mosquera repeatedly stabbed Albert Alfonso, 62, in the neck, torso, and face. The harrowing footage, later viewed by investigators, showed Mosquera singing and dancing in the aftermath of the killing. As Detective Chief Inspector Ollie Stride told Sky News, "The images will stay with all of us for a very long time."
But the horror did not end there. Mosquera proceeded to decapitate and dismember both men. He placed the heads in a freezer delivered the following day—a purchase he had researched online in the days leading up to the attacks. Computer searches also revealed he had looked up the phrase, "where on the head is a knock fatal?" on the day of the murders, underscoring the premeditated nature of his crimes, as noted by The Guardian.
The rest of the victims' remains were packed into two heavy suitcases and a trunk. On July 10, Mosquera hired a van and traveled approximately 115 miles to Bristol, intent on disposing of the bodies by throwing them off the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge. CCTV footage captured him struggling with the luggage, and members of the public who encountered him commented on the weight of the suitcases, even joking, "God, these are heavy, is there a body in there?" Mosquera claimed they contained car parts, but suspicions grew when blood was observed leaking from the cases. Bridge staff, noticing the suspicious fluid, confronted Mosquera, who then fled the scene, abandoning the gruesome cargo. He was apprehended by police days later.
The investigation revealed Mosquera's motives were largely financial. After the murders, he attempted to access the victims' bank accounts and had shown interest in the value of their flat. Judge Justice Bennathan, during sentencing at Woolwich Crown Court, stated, "I am sure that your aim was to throw the body parts off the bridge in an attempt to dispose of them. This was a hopeless endeavor as the bridge has CCTV, security staff, and a high-wire fence. Being an incompetent criminal, however, does not count as mitigation." He further remarked, "You may never be safe to be set free."
Throughout the trial, Mosquera denied the murders, instead claiming manslaughter by loss of control in Alfonso's death and blaming Alfonso for Longworth's murder—a defense the jury unanimously rejected after more than five hours of deliberation. Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC pointed out that Mosquera's detailed defense statement made no mention of any abuse by Alfonso, and a mental health report found Mosquera had no significant psychological issues at the time of the killings. The judge described the relationship between Mosquera and Alfonso as "transactional," highlighting the kindness and generosity Alfonso had shown by inviting Mosquera to England and providing for him.
Adding another layer of revulsion, Mosquera was also sentenced to 16 months in prison for possessing thousands of indecent images and videos of children, including at least 1,500 category A photographs. These sentences will run concurrently with his life term. Judge Bennathan described the material as "appalling pictures and films of the gross sexual abuse of very young children," and noted that Mosquera was "actively involved in a network sharing indecent images of children."
During sentencing on October 24, 2025, Mosquera appeared largely impassive, though at one point he smiled at his interpreter and even at the court, a gesture that left many present deeply unsettled. The judge, addressing Mosquera directly, said, "It was their tragedy that you, Yostin Mosquera, came into their lives. I now have to sentence you for these premeditated and thoroughly wicked crimes."
Detective Chief Inspector Stride, who led the investigation for the Metropolitan Police, described the case as "one of the most harrowing murders my team and I have ever investigated." He emphasized the couple's warmth and generosity, saying, "The couple had opened their door to a man so evil he would take advantage of their lively spirits and generosity and murder them to satisfy his own gains." His sentiments were echoed by senior officers in both the Metropolitan Police and Avon and Somerset Police, who remain puzzled as to why Mosquera chose to transport the bodies to Bristol rather than fleeing the country—a mystery that may never be fully explained.
Mosquera's crimes have left a lasting mark on all those involved, from the families of the victims to the detectives and jurors who had to confront the case's horrifying details. The judge's words at sentencing captured the sense of loss and outrage: "Paul Longworth and Albert Alfonso were a settled, affectionate couple. It was their tragedy that you, Yostin Mosquera, came into their lives."
In the end, the case stands as a chilling reminder of the dangers that can lurk behind seemingly ordinary relationships and the devastating consequences of betrayal and greed. The hope, for many, is that with Mosquera behind bars for at least four decades, some measure of justice has been served for two lives so brutally cut short.
