Eugeniu Neamtu convicted of murdering flatmate in Walthamstow stabbing

Eugeniu Neamtu, 59, of Westbury Road, Walthamstow, was convicted on 18 August 2026 of murdering his flatmate, Gheorghe Trica, 63. The stabbing took place at their shared home on 20 February 2026, following an argument over money.

Metropolitan Police officers and paramedics arrived at the property at 20:51 on the night of the attack. Trica was found with a single stab wound to the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene. Neamtu was arrested later that evening and charged with murder two days later.

Evidence presented at trial

The prosecution relied on witness testimony, forensic evidence and emergency call recordings. Neamtu himself called 999 after the attack, telling the 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 call was translated by a Romanian-speaking interpreter.

Residents at the flat told police they saw Neamtu standing on the communal balcony after the stabbing, making a throwing motion over the railing. A police dog later recovered a steak knife from the garden below. Neamtu admitted in a police interview that he had taken the knife from the kitchen.

Neamtu claimed in prepared statements that he acted in self-defence, alleging Trica had verbally abused him, pushed him down a staircase and attempted to attack him with a chair. However, detectives found no evidence to support these claims. Witnesses described hearing an argument over £5, with no mention of Trica being armed or aggressive.

Previous conviction in Romania

The jury was informed of Neamtu’s prior conviction in Romania for a 2006 knife attack. During that incident, he stabbed a man multiple times in the chest during a dispute over money and rent. Neamtu served 15 years in prison before being released in May 2023. Fingerprint evidence confirmed his identity in both cases.

In both the Romanian and UK cases, Neamtu claimed self-defence. Pathology evidence from the Walthamstow attack showed Trica sustained a single stab wound to the chest, penetrating the heart and causing catastrophic internal bleeding.

What happens next

Neamtu will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on 21 August 2026. Murder carries a mandatory life sentence in the UK, though the judge will set the minimum term he must serve before being eligible for parole.