Two 16-year-old boys have been convicted of murdering 15-year-old Luis Guembes in a Guildford park after luring him there over a £40 debt linked to a broken mobile phone. A jury at Guildford Crown Court returned guilty verdicts on Tuesday after a three-week trial.

Luis, a pupil at All Hallows School in Farnham, died after being stabbed in woodland off Lido Road in Stoke Park, in the grounds of the Wildwood Adventure Centre, on the evening of Monday, 19 January 2026. Officers were called to the scene at about 6.10pm after reports of a stabbing, and Luis died later that evening despite the efforts of those who attended him.

Planned robbery behind the attack

The court heard that the two boys had planned in advance to rob Luis, drawing him to the park under a false pretext. The dispute centred on a £40 sum one of them claimed was owed for a damaged mobile phone. Medical evidence showed Luis suffered multiple stab wounds, including a fatal wound to his lower back.

Both defendants were found guilty of murder. The first defendant, who was 15 at the time of the attack and is now 16, was also convicted of conspiracy to rob and possession of a bladed article. The second defendant, who was 16 at the time, had already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob and possession of a bladed article before the trial.

Sentencing in December

Neither boy can be named because of their age. The pair will return to Guildford Crown Court on 18 December 2026 to be sentenced. The prosecution told the jury that both defendants knew Luis was the intended robbery victim and both took part in the attack that led to his death, although each denied stabbing him.