‘Cowards’ who murdered footballer for bumping into them in nightclub sentenced to life
Two “weak and cowardly” men who stabbed a footballer to death after he accidentally bumped into them in a nightclub have been sentenced to life in prison.
Cody Fisher, 23, was attacked in Birmingham on Boxing Day 2022 in an act of “retribution” after briefly making “unavoidable contact” with Remy Gordon at another venue on Christmas Eve.
After the incident, Gordon hatched a plan with Kami Carpenter to “shank him up”, and footage showed them smuggling a knife past security at the Crane nightclub in Digbeth.
The pair then attacked the former Birmingham City academy player, who died at the scene.
Shortly after carrying out the attack, Gordon went to a nearby takeaway, where he laughed and joked with a friend as he described what had happened.
At Birmingham Crown Court on Monday, he was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 26 years in prison. Carpenter will serve life with a minimum of 25 years.
Fellow defendant Reegan Anderson, 19, was found not guilty of murder or manslaughter but was convicted of affray.
The court heard how, two days before his murder, Mr Fisher had briefly brushed past Gordon at the Popworld venue.
Michel Duck KC, prosecuting, said: “Cody Fisher and a close friend, who was later chased at the Crane nightclub, were making their way towards the exit.
“Necessarily, they had to move through a crowd of people. Tragically, amongst that crowd was Remy Gordon.
“There was a brief contact between Cody Fisher and Remy Gordon’s back, it seems. Remy Gordon was looking for an argument with somebody.”
The court heard how Gordon sent messages on Snapchat to friends around 45 minutes after the initial incident, appealing for help to identify a photograph showing Mr Fisher and threatening to “shank him up”.
Judge Paul Farrer KC said Gordon believed he had been “disrespected”, which led to the incident at the nightclub.
He said: “The group were wearing masks to conceal their faces and Gordon was immediately aggressive, pushing his face into Mr Fisher’s and repeatedly demanding that he come outside.
“Mr Fisher wasn’t prepared to go outside but was prepared to defend himself if necessary, and to that end, he took off his gold chain and gave it to his girlfriend.”
He said the attack lasted no more than 37 seconds and only ended when Carpenter stabbed Mr Fisher in the chest.
Tracey Fisher, Mr Fisher’s mother, said after the sentencing that “knife crime was ruining so many lives”.
When asked what message she had for young people who carried knives, she said: “They are weak, pathetic cowards, and they will ruin so many lives.”
In a statement read to the court on her behalf, she said: “I instilled in Cody from a young boy that he must stick up for himself and don’t let anyone bully him. I told him that sad, weak individuals do exist in our society and they ruin lives – how ironic and saddening that this is exactly what happened to Cody.
“He was only doing what his mum told him to do, and I think about this every day, but you never expect your child to be murdered.”
Jessica Chatwin, Mr Fisher’s girlfriend, who was with him on the night he was killed, said her world “shattered” as he took his last breaths in her arms.
Ms Chatwin said she struggled to go out with friends and was scared to even go to the local shop by herself.
She said she replayed the murder “every single night before I sleep” and often in her dreams.
