LONDON, ONT. One of two men charged in London’s latest homicide recently served time for an attack that left a variety store owner fighting for his life back in 2017. In July of 2018 Jesse McConnell, 26, pleaded guilty to the Oct. 2017 attack on storeowner Roger El Shorafa and was sentenced to three and half years in prison. Now McConnell is facing a second-degree murder charge in the death of 28-year-old Alex Pacheco. In the 2017 attack, El Shorafa was left in critical condition. The community rallied together at the time to support his recovery. Among the efforts were a GoFundMe and financial support from local restaurant chain Shelby’s Food Express.
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Charges against a man in a fatal London stabbing have stirred memories of a notorious crime for which he was previously convicted – the brutal beating of a downtown-area shopkeeper.
Jessie Aaron McConnell, 26, is charged with second-degree murder in the homicide of Alex Pacheco, a construction worker and young father of two who was killed Monday night, London police say.
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The homicide comes four years after a 2017 attack on Rajaie (Roger) El Shorafa, who was badly beaten outside his store, Horton Variety at 216 Horton St. El Shorafa suffered life-threatening head injuries on the evening of Oct. 21, 2017 after asking a group of people who were blocking his store’s entrance to move.