Six members of a drugs gang have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a woman who was shot dead at her door in Talbot Green after being caught in the crossfire of a turf war between two rival organised crime groups.
Joanne Penney was killed on 9 March 2025 when Marcus Huntley, 21, shot her as she answered the door of a property in Talbot Green that was being used by both gangs to deal drugs. Joanne herself had no connection to either criminal group. Melissa Quailey-Dashper, 40, had been instructed to knock on the door to draw her out, while Jordan Mills-Smith, 34, was also present at the scene. A fourth defendant, Joshua Gordon, 28, waited in a getaway car. He was the head of a Leicester-based organised crime group and had been involved in planning and organising the shooting. A fifth defendant, Renaldo Daniel Baptiste, 39, organised the shooting and sourced the firearm, while Kristina Ginova, 22, also played a role in the wider conspiracy.
Huntley pleaded guilty to murder. Gordon, Mills-Smith, Quailey-Dashper, Baptiste and Ginova were all convicted of murder following trials at Cardiff Crown Court, where sentences were handed down.
Gordon was ordered to serve a minimum of 32 years. Baptiste received the longest minimum term of 42 years. Huntley was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years and 146 days, Mills-Smith to a minimum of 27 years, Quailey-Dashper to a minimum of 14 years and Ginova to a minimum of 12 years. All six received life sentences.
Two further defendants, Laura John, 23, and Donna James, 51, were convicted of assisting an offender by helping Mills-Smith leave the area after the murder. Five defendants — Laura John, Donna James, Sai Raj Manne, Molly Ruth Cooper and Callum Kelleher — are due to be sentenced for connected offences on 6 July 2026.
A CPS spokesperson said: “These defendants were prepared to violently confront rival drug dealers and their actions resulted in the tragic death of Joanne Penney. The Crown Prosecution Service worked closely with South Wales Police and presented a strong case to the jury to show that although Huntley was the one who pulled the trigger, his co-defendants were equally culpable of murder. The case may now be concluded, but our thoughts will remain with the family and friends of Joanne, who have suffered a heartbreaking loss.”
