crime

Fellow Model Charged With Stabbing and Killing Harry Uzoka (Updated)

Harry Uzoka. Photo: David M. Benett/Getty Images for Cafe Royal

Twenty-four-year-old model George Koh and his friend, Jonathan Okigbo, have been charged with the killing of Harry Uzoka, an up-and-coming star in the fashion world who was found dead of a single knife wound in west London on Thursday night.

The two men were arrested this weekend, and charged on Tuesday. Koh was also charged with possessing an offensive weapon. A 27-year-old man who was arrested on the day of the stabbing has been released under investigation.

Uzoka, 25, was represented by Premier Model Management, and modeled for Dior, Everlane, and Mercedes, among others. One industry source who worked with Uzoka told the The Guardian he was a “wonderful model but, even more so, a good person and a pleasure to work with.”

Shortly after his death, model Jourdan Dunn tweeted “Rest in Paradise Young King.”

Koh’s fashion career was also on the rise. He modeled for brands like Kenzo and Paul Smith, and amassed over 12,000 followers on Instagram. He was previously represented by IMG models, but his page on their site is no longer active, and a company representative reportedly told the Daily Mail that Koh had not been on their books since March 2017.

It remains unclear what led to the attack on Uzoka.

Updated, 01/19/2018, 3:00 p.m.:

After George Koh’s first appearance in court this Thursday, the New York Times reported that prosecutors are arguing Harry Uzoka’s murder was motivated by a romantic rivalry between the two men.

Prior to the attack, Koh and Uzoka reportedly sent each other DMs on Instagram, arranging a time and place to fight. When they met at the agreed upon location, Uzoka and a friend were carrying metal pipes, and Koh and Okigbo had knives. A third, unnamed man was said to be carrying a machete.

Prosecutors said Uzoka was chased by Koh and his friend, and stabbed three times in the heart, and that Koh turned himself into the police on Monday, claiming that he had acted in self-defense.

Read the full report here.

Fellow Model Charged With Stabbing and Killing Harry Uzoka