Six jailed for life for 'senseless' murder of innocent woman
Joanne Penney was shot through her heart on the doorstep of the house she was staying in.
Six individuals have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Joanne Penney, an innocent woman killed amid a feud between rival drug gangs.
Penney was staying with friends at a residence in Talbot Green, Rhondda Cynon Taf, in March 2025 when she answered a knock at the door.
Marcus Huntley, 22, a drug dealer, fired the fatal shot using a gun that had been sent to him from Leicester to carry out a revenge attack.
Huntley and five others were convicted of murder following two extensive trials at Cardiff Crown Court.
During sentencing, Mr Justice Fordham described Penney's death as a "senseless" loss of an "innocent victim in a drugs war".
Those convicted include Jordan Mills-Smith, 34, from Cardiff; Leicester trio Joshua Gordon, 28, Melissa Quailey-Dashper, 40, and Kristina Ginova, 22; as well as drug gang leader Renaldo Baptiste, who orchestrated the attack from prison.
Joanne Penney answered a knock on the door of 10 Llys Illtyd, Talbot Green, shortly before 18:00 on 9 March and was shot through her heart.
The trials revealed that two rival drug gangs were engaged in a turf war centered around Talbot Green and specifically the address at Llys Illtyd where the shooting occurred.
Weeks prior to the murder, Huntley and Mills-Smith, acting on behalf of Leicester drug boss Gordon, had placed a drug dealer at 10 Llys Illtyd who was subsequently beaten and humiliated by a member of a rival gang.
Huntley and Gordon discussed a retaliatory attack, and a gun with ammunition was procured from the criminal underworld in Leicester and sent to Cardiff.
After the shooting, Huntley buried the gun in a park in Cardiff before fleeing the city.
Mills-Smith also fled to Suffolk, but police quickly apprehended all six suspects. Huntley was arrested during a dramatic police operation on a National Express coach.
Huntley took a selfie with the pistol the day before the murder.
A video recorded by Huntley while burying the parcel led police to its exact location.
The parcel was buried in woodland near a primary school.
The parcel contained spare bullets and plastic gloves, all linked to Huntley and Mills-Smith.
All six defendants received life sentences.
Huntley must serve a minimum of 30 years before being eligible for parole; Mills-Smith must serve at least 27 years; Gordon 32 years; and Baptiste will serve an additional 42 years concurrently with his existing 19-year minimum term.
Quailey-Dashper, who knocked on the door pretending to buy drugs on the night of the murder, was sentenced to 14 years. Ginova, Gordon's girlfriend who destroyed vital evidence the day after the shooting, received a minimum 12-year sentence.
The judge described Gordon as a "full and willing participant [of the OCG]" and the dominant member aiming to gain the upper hand.
Fordham told Baptiste: "This was a murder by you, as an offender who had previously been convicted by murder." He added Baptiste will not be eligible for parole until 2068, when he will be 81 years old, prompting gasps in the courtroom.
Addressing Huntley, the judge said he was a "confident leader but was significantly influenced by Joshua Gordon".
Fordham told Quailey-Dashper her focus was on "getting a small amount of crack cocaine" and that although she was aware Huntley had a gun, she was not a full and willing participant.
Regarding Ginova, the judge acknowledged she anticipated serious violence but did not know about a doorstep shooting or the presence of a gun. She was active in destroying evidence after the shooting to protect Gordon.
During mitigation, Gordon's barrister Talbir Singh KC stated Gordon's role was that of a "secondary party" and that the incident was motivated by retribution, not intent to kill.
Baptiste's barrister Bernard Tetlow KC said Baptiste intended only to cause serious harm and was shocked by the outcome.
For Huntley, Tom Crowther KC argued the murder was "not done for gain," while Paul Hynes KC, representing Mills-Smith, said Mills-Smith did not have a managerial role and was unaware of the plan.
Peter Joyce KC, representing Quailey-Dashper, described her background of destitution, abuse, exploitation, poverty, hopelessness, vulnerability, and misery. He explained her role was different from others, noting she was dependent on crack cocaine funded through sex work and was unaware of the gang feud or gun discussions.
Ginova's barrister Ignatius Hughes KC cited a social services report describing her as "vulnerable" and exploited.
'Mum was shot for no reason'
Emotional victim impact statements were read in court during sentencing.
Joanne Penney's son, Cody Griffiths, said: "I can't put into words what's happened to our family.
To have the person who brought me into this world and gave me life to be taken away from me in such an awful way is something I will never come to terms with.
You shot my mother through the heart and shot her whole family through the heart too. I will never get to see or speak to her again.
You will never begin to imagine what you have taken from us. To you she meant nothing but to us she meant everything.
My mother will never be able to see me get married, will never get to meet my children. Can you imagine living life without your mother?"
A statement from Penney's two teenage daughters was also read:
"We're writing this to the people who killed our mum and anyone who helped them to explain how you changed our lives forever.
Being told our mum was killed is something we'll never forget. How could someone do something so cruel?
We felt lost, scared, and angry. We still feel this way. Now we keep asking ourselves why our mum was shot? Was she frightened? Did she know what was happening? We can't stop thinking about her last moments. It must have been terrifying for her and it's very painful for us to imagine.
We were given memory boxes but we didn't have any memories to put inside and we never will. Our dad died when we were little and you have taken our mum, our history has been taken away.
We remember her taking us to the beach and giving us ice cream. She was beautiful. We hoped one day we would see her again, to tell us about our childhood and family but that hope is gone. That hurt is more than you will ever know.
You didn't just take our mum but our past, future and chance to know who we are and where we come from. You have left us as orphans.
We will never truly know her as people who are grown up, this future is gone forever. We will live with this pain for the rest of our lives.
Please remember that and ask yourselves how you would have felt as a child if your mum was shot for no reason."
A statement from Joanne Penney's mother, Sharon Penney, was also read:
"I come from a large, close and happy family but this awful thing that has happened has affected all of us as parents, siblings, children, grandparents, aunties and uncles.
We're horrified and miss her so much. It's hard seeing pain on your three children's faces having lost their sister. I am in tears every time I look at them.
I have nightmares about what happened and wake up screaming and crying only to realise it's not a nightmare, it's real.
To this day I am still not able to move back into my house and live with my brother and his wife. I'm too scared to be alone, scared of myself and the depths of my depression."
Five additional individuals will be sentenced next month for their involvement, including Molly Cooper from Leicester, found guilty of acquiring the ammunition used in the murder.
Laura John and Donna James, from Cardiff, were found guilty of assisting Jordan Mills-Smith to flee after the murder.
Sai Manne and Callum Kelleher pleaded guilty to participating in an organised crime group.
Tony Porter, acquitted of murder at the first trial's conclusion, has already been sentenced for membership in an organised crime group.
