Pair deny drive-by shooting murder of teenage girl

Your support helps us to tell the story

Support Now

Find out moreClose

As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.

Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.

Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election

Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Two men have pleaded not guilty to murdering a 17-year-old girl in a drive-by shooting more than six years ago.

Michael Clarke, 34, and Marcus La-Croix, 36, are accused over the death of Tanesha Melbourne-Blake.

The teenager was socialising with friends when she was gunned down from a silver Vauxhall Meriva people carrier in Tottenham, north London.

Ms Melbourne-Blake was killed at about 9.35pm on April 2 2018 after a bullet struck her in the chest.

She died at the scene and the car was found burnt out in Barnet five days later.

On Friday, Clarke, from Luton, and La-Croix, of Hackney, north London, appeared at the Old Bailey via videolink from custody.

They denied Tanesha’s murder and possession of a firearm – a Czechoslovakian-made automatic self-loading pistol – with intent to endanger life.

They were remanded into custody ahead of a four-week trial at the Old Bailey from March 31 next year.