A man who stabbed his housemate to death during an argument over a haircut in east London has been found guilty of murder.
Jairo Sepulveda-Garcia, 37, attacked 32-year-old Spanish national David Lopez-Fernandez inside Pat Shaw House in Globe Road, Bethnal Green on February 25.
The three-storey building had been a care home for the elderly until it closed in 2018. At the time of the murder it was being used as a commune by a number of homeless people.
On the day of the murder, Mr Lopez-Fernandez, who had only been in the country for three weeks before his death, had knocked on Sepulveda-Garcia's door asking if he wanted a haircut.
Sepulveda-Garcia told police that an argument followed after the victim hurt him with the clippers whilst cutting his hair.
Witnesses saw Mr Lopez-Fernandez stumble out of the room before he said he had been stabbed. He then collapsed in the hallway.
Mr Lopez-Fernandez suffered six stab wounds, including a severe stab wound to the back of the knee.
Paramedics were called but despite attempts to revive him, Mr Lopez-Fernandez died at the scene.
Sepulveda-Garcia fled from the building and later handed himself in to the police.
On Wednesday, Sepulveda-Garcia was found guilty of one count of murder following a trial at Southwark Crown Court.
Cath Carrie, from the CPS, said: “This was a mindless murder over a haircut. David Lopez-Fernandez had moved to London to start a new life and this was cruelly snatched away from him.
“Mr Lopez-Fernandez had only been in the country for three weeks and was not armed when he went to Sepulveda-Garcia’s room and offered to give him a haircut. He could not have predicted the violence that would ensue.
“Although nothing can bring their loved one back, I hope this conviction provides some comfort to the family and friends of Mr Lopez-Fernandez.”
Sepulveda-Garcia will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on December 20.
