Romanian National Convicted of Murder in UK After Previous Conviction in Romania

Eugeniu Neamtu, 59, has been found guilty of murdering his flatmate, Gheorghe Trica, in Walthamstow, east London. The conviction follows a trial at the Old Bailey regarding a fatal stabbing that occurred on 20 February this year. Prosecutors described the killing as strikingly similar to a previous murder Neamtu committed in Romania, for which he was convicted and jailed in May 2007. Neamtu had been released from prison in Romania in 2023 before moving to the United Kingdom.

During the trial, prosecutor Philip Evans KC argued that the parallels between the two attacks provided powerful probative evidence. In both instances, Neamtu allegedly stabbed a housemate in the chest following a dispute over money. In the London case, the victim was heard asking for five pounds back before being stabbed with a black handled steak knife. Neamtu claimed he acted in self defense and only intended to scare Mr. Trica, but he was seen throwing the weapon over a balcony banister after the attack.

Judge Richard Marks KC allowed some details of Neamtu's past to be presented to the jury but excluded the specific murder conviction and the cause of death of the first victim to avoid excessive prejudice. The jury was informed only that Neamtu had been convicted in Romania for a stabbing in 2007.