A teenager has been found guilty of murdering a 42-year-old mother who was shot to death at her front door as she tried to protect her children from gang violence.

Lianne Gordon had just returned from a holiday in Jamaica with her two children when she was shot in the head at her home in Hackney, east London, on December 5, 2023.

A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was found guilty of murder, as well as two counts of attempted murder, fighting, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of a knife or pointed object. .

The Elder Bailey heard Miss Gordon was the unintended victim of a fight between rival local gangs.

Prosecutor Mark Fenhalls KC told the jury the defendant was linked to the Pembury Gang in Hackney and was involved in the supply of Class A and B drugs.

The gang had a falling out with the Amhurst Road gang and the events leading up to Ms Gordon’s murder appeared to be “an escalation of violence against anyone believed to be associated with the A-Road gang”.

On the day of the murder, Ms Gordon’s son Kaymound received an Instagram message from the 17-year-old defendant saying “stop watching my story and tell me where your friends are”.

Ms Gordon’s 16-year-old daughter and 21-year-old son were at home at the time of the murder.

The court was told that at around 18:00 GMT, Ms Gordon’s daughter heard gunshots outside the house, which she initially thought was a fireworks display.

As she walked downstairs, she could see her mother holding the front door as if trying to close it, and a “gun tip” coming through the open door.

The 16-year-old young man told the police, “I saw him fall. I went to him.”

“When my mom took her last breath and I was still hearing the gunshots and… I opened the front door and I was yelling at her… and she looked right at me.”

He said a motion light was on which allowed him to see the defendant clearly and although he was wearing a balaclava he could see enough of his face to recognize him.

“Everything happened in slow motion. We were face to face for a few seconds, maybe five, before we ran away,” he told police.

He saw two men near the house: Amani Adams-McGuire and her boyfriend, a 16-year-old boy. Both had been shot.

He said he screamed at the attacker, who then fled on his bike.

A firearms expert told the court there was evidence eight shots were fired from the same gun on December 5, with the bullet fired through the front door in Vine Close striking Ms Gordon in the head.

Police investigating the murder later discovered that the 17-year-old defendant made approximately 65 searches related to the murder on the computer found in his bedroom.

“The only logical conclusion that can be drawn from this activity on this computer is that the defendant arrived home in the early evening and searched to see what was reported about what he had done,” the prosecutor said.

Lyrics describing the murder were also found in the defendant’s prison cell.

The teenager testified and denied involvement in any crime.

The court heard the defendant was on bail for attempted murder at the time of Ms Gordon’s murder and was later convicted at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

The second defendant – Elijah Seriki, 21, from Hackney – was acquitted of threatening another person with a knife, fighting, possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and possessing a sharp or pointed article.

The 17-year-old defendant was acquitted of threatening someone else with a knife.

The jury deliberated on their verdict for more than 21 hours.

Judge David Aubrey told the jury: “An innocent woman has been murdered and the loss to her family is incalculable and they will live with this loss for the rest of their lives.”

The sentencing hearing was postponed to a later date.