Members of the public have been left “traumatised” after mistakenly offering to help drive a double murderer over a bridge where he planned to dump the victims’ bodies, police have revealed.
Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of murders.
Yostin Andres Mosquera was convicted on Monday of the murders of Paul Longworth and Albert Alfonso, who were killed in west London on 8 July 2024.
After decapitating their bodies, the heads were stored in a freezer, while the other remains were put in suitcases.
On 10 July, Mosquera hired a van with a driver to transport him and the bags to Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Detective Chief Inspector Ollie Stride, from the Metropolitan Police, said people who had been watching a football match in a nearby pub, came outside and tried to help Mosquera, by offering to drive him over the bridge as they saw he was struggling with the heavy suitcases.
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“He told them he wanted to go to the other side of the bridge, which was only 150 yards from where he stood, but he couldn’t see it,” Detective Inspector Neil Meade, from Avon and Somerset Police, said.
“They tried loading the suitcases into the back of their car and one of them commented: ‘God, these are heavy, is there a body in there?'”
DCI Stride said they “simply couldn’t lift them into the cars so… they helped him order the taxi, that took him over using Google Translate because they couldn’t communicate with him, [as] he spoke in Spanish”.
He added: “They’ve been really traumatised by the whole thing, obviously now understanding what had happened afterwards.”
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The prosecution argued Mosquera went to Bristol with the intention of throwing the bags off the bridge.
But Mosquera caught the attention of passers-by, telling them the cases contained car parts.
However, people noticed liquid leaking from the bags – which was blood.
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A cyclist challenged Mosquera about the suitcases and chased after the double killer as he fled down a hill – filming him on his phone.
Det Insp Meade praised the cyclist and said the image he took of Mosquera was “critical” for the investigation.
“It gave us a lead to start with,” he said.
“It was an unbelievable piece of work by that member of the public. It was incredibly brave for the cyclist to intervene and have the presence of mind to get that footage on his phone.”
Police officers then attended the bridge and had to open the suitcases, which contained the torsos and limbs of Mr Alfonso and Mr Longworth.
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Det Insp Meade said: “When you sign up to join the police, you expect to see stuff that people in general society wouldn’t see.
“But nobody can prepare anybody, cop or not a cop, to see what those officers saw that night.
“I’ve been doing this job for 29 years and I’ve never had to open a suitcase, not knowing what’s in it, and there being a body in there.”
Mosquera had already run off and was later arrested at Bristol Temple Meads station on 13 July 2024 and charged with both murders.
