A 29-year-old man has been charged with the murder of ambitious lawyer Zara Aleina, who was ambushed in an “unknown attack” in Ilford.
Jordan Maxwini, who has no fixed residence, is also accused of attempted rape and robbery after the murder of his “beloved” 35-year-old.
Ms Aleina was found seriously injured in the early hours of Sunday morning by the public on Cranbrook Road, East London.
Chief Stuart Bell said there was no evidence that a weapon had been used in the attack, which left Ms Alena with significant head injuries.
Zara Aleina was “attacked by a stranger” as she walked along Cranbrook Road toward Gants Hill Station in the early hours of Sunday.
(PA)
In a touching tribute, Ms. Aleina’s family said she loves to go anywhere and called for more to be done to prevent violence against women and girls.
“Zara believed that a woman should be able to go home on foot,” they said. In a statement Tuesday, they said her “tragic, brutal, inhuman death … has no place in this society.”
“She was attacked at 2:17 a.m. Sunday, June 26, while returning home. She was ten minutes from home. “
The family organized a vigil for Mrs. Alena on Saturday, July 2 at 1:30 p.m. In her memory, they will start the walk at 14:17 and follow her journey home.
In another tribute published by the Met Police, Ms. Aleina’s family described her as “a loved one, a child, a niece, a cousin, a granddaughter, a friend to all.”
The scene near Cranbrook Road, East London, where Zara Aleina was found fatally injured
(PA)
“Taking care of others came so naturally,” they said. “She was a joy to all of us, with her sparkling eyes and curly, pitch-black hair. Her glorious laughter and her sweet smiling voice. Her small figure embodied a passionate spirit and indomitable energy, “they added.
They described the ambitious lawyer as hardworking: “No one has worked more than Zara” is what we heard from everyone who knew her.
The last text Zara sent to his girlfriend Lisa Hodgson before his death
(Facebook)
“Zara was happy and at a time in her life for which she worked hard, she completed her legal practice course so that she could practice as a lawyer.
“She only recently started working at the Royal Prosecutor’s Office to complete her 2-year job to become a fully qualified lawyer. She was fierce: she didn’t just survive, she thrived.
They explained that Mrs. Alena likes to go everywhere. “She put her party shoes in her bag and put on her sneakers,” they said.
“She was walking. Zara believed that a woman should be able to walk home. Now her dreams of a family are shattered, her future is brutally taken away.
In her honor, the family said that Ms. Aleina “is not the only woman who has lost her life in this way.”
“At the moment of this tragedy, we express our deepest sympathy and love for the families of Bibaa Henry; Nicole Smallman; Sarah Everard; Sabina Nesa; Ashling Murphy and many other women.
“We must PREVENT and STOP violence against women and girls,” they wrote.
In another emotional tribute on Monday, Ms. Aleina’s best friend Lisa Hodgson shared the latest text she sent her.
On Friday, Ms. Aleina sent a message to Ms. Hodgson to tell her, “I miss your beautiful face this weekend xx. I can’t wait to see you next weekend xxx.
Lisa Hodgson said she was supposed to meet Ms. Aleina over the weekend, she was killed in Ilford, but the two changed their plans for a later date.
“I’m completely broken,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “I’m shocked. I’m angry. My stomach is vomiting.”
The 29-year-old suspect was arrested at an address in Ilford shortly after 4pm on Monday.
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