Murder #8, Wing Ho, Haringey
Murder #8, Wing Ho, Haringey
A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named because of his age, is alleged to have knifed Wing Juan Ho, 18, to death at his home in Hermitage Road, Harringay, on January 19, 2011 .He is also said to have stabbed his victim’s mother and father, Chi Juan Wen and Zuan Hua Ho during the same attack. Both parents survived the onslaught but Wing Ho was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
I had a lot of trouble finding the house where 18 year old Wing Ho died. It was a very domestic family tragedy and very private. I walked up and down the street asking people if they knew of the murder on their street and everyone seemed oblivious to the tragedy. When I asked an elderly man about it, he berated me for not being a good journalist and that I should start knocking on doors. The idea of knocking on doors asking about a murder seemed overly intrusive. I know reporters do this but its usually to gauge the reaction of neighbours to the murder, not to ask where it happened. The idea that I might end up knocking on the door of the actual family house and talking to a family member grieving again seemed overly intrusive. Eventually I met a young man waiting in front of his house for the Sky TV van to install his satellite, who pointed to the house directly opposite his when I asked. He told me about the police and ambulances arriving and how quickly the forensic teams got their work done. He knew something bad had happened but did not know it had been murder. A couple of days later you would never had known a murder had taken place in the house. I am always amazed how quickly the scene reverts back to normality. I did my photographs in the dimming winter light and asked by a few passersbys what I was doing. All where surprised by what I told them. The murder of Wing Ho seemed to be a very private tragedy in every sense.
The Landscape of Murder Project
