Eugeniu Neamtu convicted of murdering Walthamstow flatmate

Eugeniu Neamtu, 59, has been found guilty of murdering his flatmate, 63-year-old Gheorghe Trica, at a residence in Walthamstow, east London. A jury at the Old Bailey delivered the verdict on August 18.

The incident occurred on February 20, following an argument between the two men over money. Witnesses reported that Trica had repeatedly demanded the return of £5 during the dispute. Neamtu armed himself with a knife and stabbed Trica in the chest. Emergency services arrived at the Westbury Road address shortly before 10:00 PM, but Trica was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigations revealed that Neamtu made several emergency calls from his own mobile phone immediately after the stabbing. In one call, translated by a Romanian-speaking interpreter, Neamtu identified himself as the perpetrator.

Neamtu had previously been convicted of a strikingly similar murder in Romania in 2007, involving a fatal stabbing during a dispute over money. He was released from prison in Romania in 2023 before moving to the United Kingdom.