Joanne Penney's Killer Was Trafficked, Court Told at Sentencing
The 21-year-old who shot Joanne Penney dead on her doorstep in Talbot Green was himself trafficked as a sex slave and was dependent on drugs, Cardiff Crown Court heard on the first day of sentencing.
Marcus Huntley, who pleaded guilty to pulling the trigger, was among six defendants appearing before the court as the hearing into the March 2025 murder continued Tuesday.
The Shooting on Llys Illtyd
Joanne Penney, 40, answered the door of a property at 10 Llys Illtyd in Talbot Green at approximately 6:10 p.m. on March 9, 2025.
Huntley fired a single shot from close range. The bullet penetrated her heart and left lung, lodging in the rear of her chest. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The background to her killing, prosecutor Jonathan Rees KC said during the original trial, was a clash of rival organised crime groups competing over drug dealing territory in south Wales. According to ITV News Wales, Huntley had shot Ms Penney as part of a revenge operation after members of the Rico OCG, led by defendant Joshua Gordon, had twice been confronted and humiliated by a rival group operating in the Talbot Green area.
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Six Convicted — Including a Killer Who Orchestrated It From Prison
Five defendants were convicted at trial or by guilty plea: Huntley, Gordon, Jordan Mills-Smith, 34, Kristina Ginova, 22, and Melissa Quailey-Dashper, 40. Quailey-Dashper knocked on the front door to draw Ms Penney out, having been paid in crack cocaine.
A sixth — Renaldo Baptiste, 39 — was convicted in a separate second trial in May 2026 for orchestrating the murder from his prison cell.
Baptiste was already serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 25 years for a separate murder when he used a hidden prison phone to help arrange the gun used in the shooting. According to BBC Wales via Yahoo News, messages sent from his prison phone included a reference to a ".38 Smith Wesson, 10 sweets" — believed to refer to ammunition — and a response to a "leg shots only" message that prosecutors argued demonstrated his involvement in planning the attack.
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🤖 AI Generated ImageHuntley's Background Read to Court
The sentencing hearing's second day heard mitigation for the defendants.
The court was told Marcus Huntley was trafficked as a sex slave during his childhood and became dependent on drugs before becoming caught up in the Rico OCG's activities in south Wales. Huntley had been selling crack cocaine and cocaine in the Talbot Green area alongside Jordan Mills-Smith.
The court also heard powerful victim impact statements from Joanne Penney's family. Her mother, Sharon Penney, told the court she has nightmares about her daughter's death and is too scared to be left alone. Addressing the defendants directly through her written statement, she said: "You don't deserve my thoughts or pain or emotional responses such as anger."
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The Sentencing Continues
The hearing was adjourned Monday and is due to resume at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Sentences for all six defendants are expected to be delivered before the hearing concludes. Huntley, having pleaded guilty to murder, faces a mandatory life sentence. The minimum term the judge sets will determine when he can first apply for parole.
Baptiste, already serving life for a previous murder, faces the addition of a second life sentence for orchestrating this one.
Key Takeaways
- Joanne Penney, 40, was shot dead on the doorstep of her home in Llys Illtyd, Talbot Green on March 9, 2025.
- Marcus Huntley, 21, who pulled the trigger, was trafficked as a sex slave and was drug dependent, the sentencing hearing heard.
- Five others convicted: Renaldo Baptiste (orchestrated from prison), Joshua Gordon (led Rico OCG), Jordan Mills-Smith, Kristina Ginova, and Melissa Quailey-Dashper (knocked on the door, paid in crack cocaine).
- Baptiste was already serving a 25-year minimum life sentence for a separate murder when he arranged this killing via a hidden prison phone.
- Sharon Penney, Joanne's mother, told the court she has nightmares and is too scared to be left alone.
- Sentencing is expected to conclude when the hearing resumes at 10 a.m..
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World News Correspondent
Rachel Hayes reports on international affairs, geopolitics, and breaking world news. Based in London, she covers stories shaping the UK and global political landscape.
