A man has been convicted of murder after throwing a woman from a car and brutally assaulting her, following a Metropolitan Police investigation. A jury at the Old Bailey on Thursday found Duane Owusu, 36, of Althorne Way, Dagenham, guilty of murdering Zahwa Mukhtar, 27, in Chadwell Heath on Saturday, August 16, 2025.

Detective Chief Inspector Phil Clarke, from Specialist Crime North, said: “Our thoughts today are with Zahwa’s family, who have demonstrated great dignity and patience after losing their daughter in such horrendous circumstances. CCTV footage collected by the investigation team painted a damning picture of Owusu’s guilt. The evidence revealed him to be a remorseless killer, who acted with callous disregard towards his victim.”

Zahwa met Owusu in the early hours of August 16 while he was out with a group in Hackney. She joined the group and ended up in a car with them.

At about 4.30am, a dispute erupted, and Owusu threw Zahwa from the moving vehicle at Chadwell Heath Lane. He then got out and punched her before driving off, leaving her unconscious by the roadside.

Shortly afterwards, police stopped the car for a routine check. Officers found a small quantity of drugs and recorded Owusu on body-worn video behaving aggressively.

The car was allowed to continue, with the driver due to be invited for interview later.

Passers-by then alerted officers to a woman injured nearby. Police arrived and began CPR on Zahwa, who was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

Linking the earlier car stop to Zahwa’s death, detectives traced the movements of the passengers. CCTV captured Owusu throwing Zahwa from the car and assaulting her. Further footage showed him berating a passenger who wanted to help, calling him a “weak link”.

Owusu was arrested on Sunday, August 17, and gave a no comment interview in custody.

He will be sentenced on Thursday, March 122.