Roehampton Student Guilty of Murder After Hunting Down Partner

Blaze Wallace stabbed Samuel Mayo near Mortlake station


Samuel Mayo with Blaze Wallace. Picture: Facebook

Participate


Roehampton Rapist Jailed Two Decades After His Crime

Case of Boy who Disappeared from Putney To Be Re-examined

Roehampton Woman's Barking Dog Leaves Her with Hefty Fine

Appeal Issued After Lower Richmond Road Robbery

Penny Mordaunt Caught Speeding in Putney

Swan Rescued from Putney Bridge During Rush Hour

Sign up for our weekly Putney newsletter

Comment on this story on the

June 22, 2023

A 28-year-old woman has been found guilty of murdering her partner after a drug-fuelled row.

Blaze Wallace lived with 34-year-old Samuel Mayo in Mullins Path in Mortlake. She was studying for a post-graduate degree in Human Rights and Legal Practice at the University of Roehampton after having obtained a law degree from St Mary’s University in Twickenham in 2017.

On Monday 18 July last year, the couple, who had become engaged a month earlier, were seen arguing near Mortlake Station at around 6pm.

They returned to their one-bedroom flat which is a short walk from the station and a neighbour reported hearing Wallace telling her fiancé to pack his bag and leave which he duly did at 9.30pm.

As he departed, Wallace picked up a kitchen knife and began to follow him through the streets. CCTV shows Samuel walking, unaware that Wallace was following his route minutes behind. She was wearing a long cardigan, despite it being one of the hottest nights of the year, to conceal the knife in her right pocket.

As he walked along Lower Mortlake Road, Wallace caught up with him at around 9.45pm and their argument restarted. Within seconds she had stabbed Samuel once in the chest, fatally injuring him and leaving him collapsed in the street while she calmly walked off back towards her flat. Passers-by, who had been alerted by Samuel’s cries for help, rushed to assist him. He had run across the road near Mortlake Green Park shouting for an ambulance and then collapsed against a wall. Members of the public used towels to try and stem the bleeding but despite their efforts and those of paramedics who arrived later, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

When the police went to Wallace’s flat to inform her of what had happened, she was acting erratically and was arrested on suspicion of his murder.


Blaze Wallace after her arrest. Picture: Met Police

Officers found the cardigan during a search of the flat and forensic analysis revealed Samuel’s blood on the sleeve. They also found several kitchen knives, with only one having been recently cleaned. The forensic pathologist who examined the knife confirmed it was consistent with the type used to stab Samuel.

She was found guilty of murder at the conclusion of a trial at Kingston Crown Court on Thursday, 22 June.

Detective Inspector Nicola Collins from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said, “Blaze Wallace set out that evening armed with a knife and clearly with the intention of causing Samuel Mayo serious injury. Shortly after she caught up with Samuel she stabbed and killed him before turning and walking away.

“This is a tragic incident that has left Samuel’s family devastated. Wallace has been convicted of his murder, but that will offer little comfort to them as they continue to deal with the loss of their loved one.”

Wallace will be sentenced at the same court on 4 August.

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.