A road rage killer has been jailed for 23 years for stabbing a 'loving' dad to death in front of his four-year-old son.
Alexander Layton, 34, stabbed James Stokoe six times with a kitchen knife as the victim's son sat in a booster seat in the back of the car.
Just moments before the killing Mr Stokoe had almost crashed into Layton after he got off a bus in Thornaby, near Middlesbrough.
Mr Stokoe followed Layton and confronted him, with the pedestrian then drawing a knife and stabbing the dad, TeessideLive reports.
Yesterday, a jury also found Layton guilty of a second charge, of the possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
The murderer dressed in an open-necked shirt and light grey suit appeared stunned as the verdict was read out.
There were shouts from the public gallery of: "Oh my god".
The jury reached its verdict in just over two hours and Layton will be brought back to court 11 to be sentenced on Tuesday.
Layton calmly approached Mr Stokoe's vehicle on Trenchard Avenue, in Thornaby, on May 15, 2020, armed with a kitchen knife.
He stabbed Mr Stokoe six times in his right leg-severing his femoral artery and causing huge blood loss.
Mr Stokoe's four-year-old son was sitting in a booster seat in the back of the car.
Following the attack on Trenchard Avenue, Thornaby, Layton calmly walked away from James Stokoe's BMW.
Layton, who is still carrying the murder weapon, catches a bus to Coulby Newham where he goes into Tesco to buy beer and a scratchcard.
He later buys some cannabis before walking to Great Ayton for his camping trip.
However, unbeknown to Layton, Cleveland Police had launched an investigation - and were hunting him down.
He was eventually tracked down in La Bella Pizzeria, Great Ayton, on May 16.
He is reading the menu when armed officers approach the takeaway at around 10.26pm.
A police officer can be seen outside the takeaway and shouts.
Layton places his hands in the air and gets down on the floor outside.
The jury heard evidence from PC Daniel Badger, an authorised firearms officer, during the trial.
He told how he was "deployed to La Bella Pizzeria in Great Ayton after receiving a sighting of Layton".
After the attack a nurse rushed out of her home and began CPR on Mr Stokoe, while a boy in a passing car dialled 999.
A crowd of people also desperately tried to help.
Meanwhile Layton had fled to his home where he readied himself to go camping.
Mr Stokoe was pronounced dead less than 20 minutes after the attack.
“Nothing will ever bring back our beloved James and we have to live with the consequences of what happened for the rest of our lives," his family said in a statement.
“He was a much loved husband, father, son and son in law and he is dearly missed by all of us.
“James was treasured by so many people with his wonderful, kind and gentle nature and his loss to us all is unimaginable.”
