A man who murdered his housemate at their home in Manor Park minutes after they posed for a picture together has been jailed for life today.
Emil Asparuhov Hristov, 40, stabbed 29-year-old Dimitar Petrov 18 times, including four times through the heart, at the house they shared with five others in Sherrard Road.
The Old Bailey heard after the murder Hristov stabbed himself and placed the knife in Dimitar’s hand to back up his claim that he had been acting in self defence on August 20 last year.
Jurors heard minutes before the attack Hristov took a picture of them on his mobile phone which showed them looking ‘jolly’.
At the time of the murder Hristov thought it was just him and Dimitar at the property but another housemate was upstairs and had heard a scream.
He told the court he came downstairs to find Hristov casually washing the blood stained knife in the sink and Dimitar lying in the bathtub.
Hristov was taken to hospital where he was treated for minor injuries and discharged after an hour.
An investigation was launched and he was subsequently charged with murder.
He was found guilty yesterday and today he was sentenced to a life sentence with a minimum tariff of 21 years.
Detective Inspector Rita Tierney, investigating officer, said: “Hristov maintained his self-defence story in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
“I hope his conviction goes some small way to helping the family move on from what has been a traumatic period in their life.”
Paying tribute to her son, Dimitar’s mother said in a statement: “The loss of a child is the worst thing that can happen to a parent. There is nothing worse than that.
“My son had dreams he will never achieve. My sorrow is huge and endless, it will be with me forever. My favourite son, the son I love so much is gone. I will never see his smile again, the smile that didn’t leave his face, the kindness and warmth he had in him.
“I love you my son, I miss you every day and every hour. Can you hear me, I love you. I love you my love. We will meet at a better place.”
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