A Romanian man who stabbed his flatmate to death over a £5 debt has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years. Eugeniu Neamtu, 59, who was in the UK illegally, was found guilty of fatally stabbing his flatmate and fellow Romanian Gheorghe Trica, 63, in Walthamstow, east London, on February 20. The sentence was handed down at the Old Bailey on Friday.
Killer freed from Romanian jail three years ago
The court heard Neamtu stabbed Mr Trica in the heart in almost identical circumstances to an earlier killing in his home country dating back to August 2006, when he stabbed his housemate Adrian Vas repeatedly in the chest in a drunken row over money. Neamtu had been sentenced to 15 years in Romanian jail in May 2007 and travelled to the UK as a visitor in September 2023 following his release.
He was not in the country lawfully at the time of the killing in 2026, the court heard, having failed to declare his previous conviction and not being permitted to work in the UK.
Judge cites 'extremely aggravating factor'
Sentencing, Judge Richard Marks KC said the murder was triggered by the “exceptionally trivial fact” the victim had asked to be repaid £5. He said Neamtu had shown “no remorse” and his previous conviction in Romania was an “extremely aggravating factor”.
Judge Marks told Neamtu: “The fact you killed another person within three years of your release underlines how dangerous an individual you are.
“What is also noteworthy is the fact that the 2006 offence was factually remarkably similar to this offence involving as it did your use in drink – a feature of this case – of a kitchen knife in a domestic setting, over a row about money.”
Attack at shared flat
During the trial, prosecutor Philip Evans KC told jurors there had been an argument between the defendant and Mr Trica at the flat they shared with six other Romanians in Walthamstow. Both had shouted insults in Romanian and Mr Trica was heard to say: “Give me back those £5.”
The victim was found in a pool of blood, jurors were told. Mr Trica collapsed on the communal balcony outside the front door of the flat and died at the scene, despite efforts of police and medics. Afterwards, the defendant was seen to throw something over the banister of the balcony. A police dog was used to search the area and the murder weapon – a black-handled steak knife – was recovered from the garden.
In a call translated by a Romanian-speaking interpreter, Neamtu told a 999 operator: “There was an incident here and a person is injured. There was an altercation, a man was cut, and I am the perpetrator.” The prosecutor pointed out “striking similarities” to the stabbing in Romania for which Neamtu was found guilty and jailed in May 2007.
Defence claims and verdict
Following his arrest, Neamtu claimed in prepared statements that Mr Trica had threatened to kill him, pushed him down the stairs and made throat-slitting gestures. He said he picked up the knife from the kitchen to “scare” Mr Trica and stabbed him in the chest to protect himself.
Neamtu, of Westbury Road, Walthamstow, denied the murder of Mr Trica but declined to give evidence in his trial. The jury found him guilty after three hours of deliberations. The jury was not told that Neamtu’s first victim had died until after reaching its verdict.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with the victim of this horrific crime and with all those who have been affected by it.
“The perpetrator has now been rightly convicted and justice has been delivered by the courts. Once sentencing has taken place, we will seek to deport him off British soil.”
