Romanian convicted killer jailed for life after stabbing UK flatmate over £5
An illegal immigrant has been jailed for life for murdering his flatmate just three years after a "strikingly similar" killing in his home country.
Eugeniu Neamtu, 59, was handed his sentence at the Old Bailey this morning for a minimum term of 27 years for killing a man in the UK amid a row over a £5 note.
He committed the offence three years after serving a sentence in Romania for a "strikingly similar" murder.
The construction worker, known as Jimmy, was found guilty of fatally stabbing his flatmate and fellow Romanian Gheorghe Trica, 63, in Walthamstow in east London on February 20.
Neamtu stabbed Mr Trica in the heart in similar circumstances to a previous killing in his home country in 2006, for which he was jailed for 15 years in Romania.
In 2007, he was found guilty of stabbing his victim repeatedly in the chest in a drunken row over money.
Then, once released from prison, Neamtu made his way to Britain in September 2023 - and did not declare his murder conviction.
The double murderer also failed to declare he intended to work for UK authorities.
As a result, Neamtu was not in the UK lawfully at the time of the fatal attack.
Philip Evans KC told jurors: "The prosecution in this case relies on this previous conviction because of the striking similarities between the circumstances of that offence and the allegation you are concerned with in this trial.
"In both cases the defendant was involved in a drunken argument with an associate over money. In both cases he took up a knife from within the home.
"In both cases he stabbed the other man in the chest. In both cases he later claimed that he acted in self‑defence."
Back in 2006, Neamtu had been drinking plum brandy with flatmate Adrian Vas when the row was triggered as the pair quarrelled over rent and work on the property.
During the attack, Neamtu stabbed Mr Vas in the chest, later being found guilty of murder after he claimed self-defence before a Romanian court.
In 2024, Mr Trica was also stabbed in the chest in a similar fashion amid an argument with Neamtu at their Walthamstow flat.
Amid the scuffle, the victim was heard to say: "Give me back those £5."
The court heard that, during the murder, a bystander exclaimed: "Oh my God, he has cut Trica."
The victim fell to the floor outside the front door of their flat, dying at the scene, the court heard.
Neamtu was spotted throwing an item over the bannister, with the incident taking place on the communal balcony.
Police recovered the murder weapon, a black-handled steak knife, from the garden following investigations.
Neamtu claimed Mr Trica had threatened to murder him, making throat-slitting gestures after he shoved him down the stairs.
Politics Editor
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