House Party Killer: The murder of Mikey Roynon
House Party KillerIn June 2023, an ordinary house party soon turned deadly. 16-year-old Mikey Roynon, a teenager full of hopes, dreams and music, went to a party with friends. He never came home. In the blink of an eye, a moment meant for celebration became a tragedy that shook a community, upended lives and ended in a courtroom drama that still reverberates.
Because what began as a teenage gathering spiralled into violence – knives, fear, and a fatal wound – leaving Mikey’s family with a hole no verdict can truly fill, and setting off a series of trials, appeals and a painful reminder of how fragile life can be. Laura Whitmore investigates the case a new special, House Party Killer, available on Crime+Investigation and Crime+Investigation Play from Wednesday, 14th January.
Join Crime+Investigation as we tap into the case of Mikey Roynon, the suspects, motives, the legal proceedings and how two teens later had their convictions overturned.
More than a headline
Mikey Roynon, from Kingswood near Bristol, had just finished his GCSEs and was beginning to glimpse his future. To friends, family and those who knew him, he wasn’t just another teenager – he was a 'kind, loving and thoughtful soul,' often described as warm and full of potential.
'He was very loved by everyone, especially me. He was full of life.' Roynon’s mum told the court.
Roynon also had talent and ambition: under the stage names 'Mikey Young' or 'YM', he was an aspiring rapper. He was creative, enthusiastic and had dreams that stretched beyond his immediate world.
That night, on 10th June 2023, he went to a house party in the Weston area of Bath – drawn there after seeing the event shared on social media. It was meant to be a fun, spontaneous evening with friends. Instead, it became the last time anyone saw him alive.
The party that turned tragic
Around 11pm, in the garden and driveway of a house, what started as a party descended into chaos. Confrontation erupted. According to police and court evidence, Mikey was stabbed in the neck by a large, lethal knife – a weapon later described as a 'zombie-style' knife.
He collapsed in the driveway. Medics were summoned, but despite their efforts, Mikey died at the scene. A post-mortem confirmed a single stab wound to the neck as the cause.
In the immediate aftermath, police arrested multiple teens, including a group rounded up on a bus just outside the scene. Many were released quickly, but three male teenagers were held and eventually charged with murder and possession of a bladed weapon.
The trial
In a much-watched trial at Bristol Crown Court, the evidence was stark. CCTV footage from a bus seemed to show the three defendants arriving armed. Police later recovered knives, one even containing both Mikey’s and a defendant’s DNA.
Forensics also found Mikey’s blood on clothing tied to the accused. The prosecution argued that the weapons were more than deterrents, that the knives were clearly meant for serious violence.
In March 2024, the jury delivered its verdict: the boy who delivered the fatal blow, Shane Cunningham, was found guilty of murder. Two other teenagers were found guilty of manslaughter by 'joint enterprise', meaning the jury believed their actions helped enable the deadly attack.
Sentences were handed down a few months later. Cunningham received a life sentence with a minimum of 16 years to serve before parole eligibility. The other two defendants, both youths at the time of sentencing, were given nine years and nine-and-a-half years, respectively.
The judge, Mr Justice Saini, spoke bluntly about what he called a 'plague of knife crime' sweeping parts of Bristol and Bath. He left no doubt: carrying a weapon to a teenage party was unconscionable and dangerous.
Quashed convictions
But justice is often messy. In May 2025, the two manslaughter convictions were quashed by the Court of Appeal, after judges ruled that there had been a 'critical but accidental' error in directions given to the original jury. That error made the verdicts unsafe.
A re-trial had been scheduled for November – but in October 2025, the Crown Prosecution Service announced it would offer no further evidence. With that, both young men were formally acquitted. The charges were dropped. Meanwhile, Shane Cunningham’s life sentence stands, and he continues to serve time.
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