Leicester Woman on Trial Over Fatal Doorstep Shooting

A Leicester woman whose DNA was reportedly found on the ammunition used to kill an innocent mother on a doorstep in South Wales has gone on trial at Cardiff Crown Court — as a second wave of prosecutions gets under way over one of the most shocking gang murders in recent British history.

The Murder of Joanne Penney in Talbot Green

Joanne Penney, 40, was shot dead at point-blank range on the evening of Sunday, 9 March 2025. She had answered a knock at the front door of a flat at 10 Llys Illtyd, Green Park, Talbot Green, Rhondda Cynon Taf — a property she was visiting. A single bullet fired at close range struck her in the heart. She staggered back into the living room and died moments later. Emergency services, including armed police and paramedics, attended the scene, but nothing could be done.

Ms Penney was not the intended target. Cardiff Crown Court has heard in two separate trials that the plan was simply to shoot whoever opened that door — an act of gang retribution that went catastrophically and fatally wrong for an entirely innocent woman. Her family described her as “a daughter, mother, sister, and niece, loved deeply by all who knew her” and asked that they be given space to grieve in peace.

The Leicester Connection — and Molly Cooper’s Role

The killing was the product of a violent turf war between two organised crime groups. The Rico OCG, based in Leicester, had been expanding its drug distribution into South Wales, pushing crack cocaine and cocaine through Cardiff-based dealer Marcus Huntley. This brought the group into direct conflict with a rival outfit led by a man known as “Jimmy” — Daniel Joseph — who operated in the same area.

After a series of escalating confrontations — including incidents where Rico OCG members were chased, humiliated, and assaulted — the group’s leadership, including Leicester’s Joshua Gordon, discussed acquiring a firearm and ammunition to “send a message.” It is at this point that Molly Cooper, 33, of The Crossway, Leicester, enters the picture.

Cooper’s DNA was found on the ammunition used in the killing — specifically on 16 live 8mm calibre blank pistol cartridges that had been modified by being reloaded with improvised projectiles. She faces a charge of possessing, purchasing or acquiring ammunition without holding a firearm certificate. Both Cooper and fellow defendant Renaldo Daniel Baptiste, 39, have already admitted being members of the Rico OCG, though Cooper denies the ammunition charge and Baptiste denies murder.

Five Already Convicted — Now Four More Face Justice

The first trial, which ran from October 2025 and concluded in January 2026, resulted in convictions for five people. Marcus Huntley, 21, of St Mellons, Cardiff — the man who pulled the trigger — pleaded guilty to murder on the second day of proceedings. A jury then convicted Joshua Gordon, 27, of Oadby, Leicester; Kristina Ginova, 22, of Oadby, Leicester; Melissa Quailey-Dashper, 40, of Westcotes Drive, Leicester; and Jordan Mills-Smith, 33, of Pentwyn, Cardiff of murder. A sixth defendant, Tony Porter, 69, from Leicester, was acquitted of murder but convicted of participating in the activities of an organised crime group and sentenced to 22 months in prison.

The court heard that on the night of the killing, a convoy of vehicles travelled from Leicester to South Wales. Quailey-Dashper knocked on the door of the flat to draw the occupant out, then stepped back. Huntley, standing beside Mills-Smith, immediately fired at whoever answered. Gordon and Porter remained in the waiting car. Meanwhile, Ginova had driven to a McDonald’s in Cardiff with Gordon’s mobile phone — an attempt to provide a false alibi by pinging his device at a different location while the murder took place.

After the shooting, Huntley took a selfie mimicking a gun gesture just 21 minutes after Ms Penney was declared dead. He later buried the firearm in a park near homes and a primary school before attempting to flee to Leicester. He was arrested on a National Express coach three days after the murder.

The Second Trial: Baptiste, Cooper, John and James

The second trial, which opened on 30 March 2026 and is expected to last six weeks, sees four further defendants in the dock at Cardiff Crown Court. Renaldo Daniel Baptiste, 39, of no fixed address and formerly of Leicester, is charged with murder. Prosecutors say he played a key role in sourcing the firearm and ammunition used in the killing and in managing the aftermath. Evidence presented in court revealed he sent an “elated” voice message after being told the shooting had taken place — reacting with excitement while still in prison.

Laura John, 22, of Rhiwbina, Cardiff, and Donna James, 51, of Llanishen, Cardiff, face a single charge each of assisting an offender — specifically by allegedly purchasing a National Express coach ticket for Jordan Mills-Smith to help him flee South Wales after the murder. John is Mills-Smith’s partner; James is his mother. All four defendants deny the charges against them.

Our Take: Leicester’s Gang Problem Has a Long Reach

It is easy to read this story as something that happened somewhere else — a doorstep in a small Welsh town, a court in Cardiff. But make no mistake: this is a Leicester story. The Rico OCG was a Leicester operation. Joshua Gordon, Kristina Ginova, Melissa Quailey-Dashper, Tony Porter, and now Molly Cooper and Renaldo Baptiste — all Leicester names, all Leicester addresses. The gang ran its drugs network out of this city and sent a murder convoy down the M4.

Joanne Penney was 40 years old. She had done nothing wrong. She was visiting a property, she heard a knock at the door, and she answered it. That is all she did. And she was shot through the heart by a group of people from Leicester who had decided that the best way to settle a drug dispute was to put a bullet in whoever came to the door.

Five people have already been convicted of her murder. Four more are now in the dock. And still the sentencing for the original five has not yet happened — that is due later this year. This case has already consumed years of court time, millions of pounds of public money, and has destroyed or upended dozens of lives. All of it traces back to a decision made by Leicester gang members to expand their drug operation into Wales.

The county lines model — where city-based drug gangs extend distribution into towns and rural areas — has been a known and documented problem for years. Police, councils, and government have all acknowledged it. And yet here we are, with an innocent woman dead and a second wave of trials under way, because that model was allowed to operate unchecked long enough for someone to end up shooting a stranger on her doorstep.

We will follow this trial every step of the way. Joanne Penney’s family deserve justice in full — and Leicester deserves to know the complete picture of what was done in its streets and in its name. We’ll make sure you do.

Have Your Say

Joanne Penney was an innocent woman killed because of a drug gang dispute that started in Leicester. Do you think enough is being done to tackle county lines gangs in the East Midlands? Share your views in the comments below. And if you want to stay across this trial and other major stories affecting Leicester and the wider region, sign up for our free local news updates — we’ll keep you informed every step of the way.