Lanzarote teenager Yeray Sánchez Morales: two young men sentenced over London killing
A young man from Lanzarote, Yeray Sánchez Morales, died in London after an attack outside a McDonald’s on Old Kent Road in Southwark in August 2025. More than a year later, the court proceedings have resulted in prison sentences for two 18-year-olds convicted of manslaughter.
The case has attracted attention in Lanzarote because Yeray was a 17-year-old with strong family and community connections on the island.
What happened to Yeray Sánchez Morales?
Yeray and a 17-year-old friend were outside a McDonald’s on Old Kent Road at about 10:46pm on 27 August 2025 when a group of young men approached them. According to the Metropolitan Police, both teenagers were attacked with knives. Yeray was also kicked and struck with a bottle.
Yeray suffered nine wounds to his neck and chest. He was taken to hospital but died from his injuries on 3 September 2025, one week after the attack. His friend survived.
The Metropolitan Police said the surviving victim told detectives that he and Yeray did not know why they had been targeted.
Who has now been sentenced?
On 18 September 2026, two 18-year-olds were convicted of manslaughter in connection with Yeray’s death.
Andres Tapia Londono, of Haringey, was sentenced to four years in prison for manslaughter.
Christhofer Jesus Vasquez, of Enfield, was also sentenced to four years for manslaughter. He had additionally pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article and received a one-year sentence for that offence, to run concurrently with the manslaughter sentence.
The Metropolitan Police said four other teenagers and a man were also sentenced for violent offences connected with the wider events. Their offences included violent disorder and, in one case, offences relating to a second victim. None of those defendants was convicted of murder.
How did detectives identify those involved?
The investigation involved a combination of evidence rather than relying on one source.
Detectives appealed to young people who had witnessed the incident and obtained mobile-phone recordings from the night of the attack. Officers then used the footage alongside local CCTV to follow the movements of those involved and identify individuals by their clothing.
Police also examined material shared on social media, including photographs and voice notes. Specialist forensic work provided further evidence, with the Metropolitan Police saying that DNA recovered from the rim of a bottle linked one person to the attack.
The investigation shows how mobile-phone video, CCTV, digital evidence and forensic analysis can become important pieces of evidence in a serious crime investigation.
Yeray’s connection to Lanzarote
Although the fatal attack happened in London, the case has also been closely followed in Lanzarote. Local reporting after Yeray’s death described him as a young Lanzaroteño with strong links to the island.
Yeray spent time in Lanzarote during the summer and had worked with TecnoSound Canarias during his stays. His death was reported as a major shock for people who knew him on the island as well as for his family and friends in the UK.
His mother, Elena Morales, described Yeray as a happy, polite and generous young man who loved dancing and singing. She said he had completed the first year of a sports science course and dreamed of becoming a PE teacher.
A tragic story remembered in Lanzarote
Yeray was only 17 when he died. While the court proceedings have now resulted in convictions and sentences for those directly convicted of manslaughter, his family and friends continue to live with the loss.
