A man has been found guilty of murdering a father-of-three who was stabbed to death in the food hall of an Essex shopping centre.
Michael Ugwa, 29, was killed at Lakeside Shopping Centre in Thurrock shortly before 4.30pm on April 28 last year after complimenting one of his assailants' girlfriends, a trial at Basildon Crown Court was told.
Muhammad Khan, from Ilford was yesterday (Monday, May 22) found guilty of Mr Ugwa’s murder and of affray, Essex Police said.
TRENDING: Transport for London’s internship for people of ‘non-white heritage’ sparks debate
Jurors cleared Brandon Lutchmunsing, from Grafton Road, Dagenham, of murder, but found him guilty of manslaughter and of affray.
Lutchmunsing's 21-year-old girlfriend, Shannon Weston, of Paddocks Close, Canewdon, was found guilty of three counts of assisting an offender.
The court heard how Khan, 23, and Lutchmunsing, 20, confronted Ugwa armed with a knife after after Mr Ugwa made comments towards Weston.
After exchanging words with Ugwa and his friends, the two men chased and cornered Ugwa in the food hall.
Attempting to defend himself, Michael picked up a chair from the seating area but dropped it as Lutchmunsing threw another chair at him.
Khan then approached Mr Ugwa from his left-hand side and stabbed him under the arm through his ribs, puncturing his heart.
CCTV footage showed Mr Ugwa collapsed at the entrance of the food court. Despite the best efforts of emergency services, he did not survive.
Lutchmunsing was arrested on suspicion of Michael’s murder on May 2, followed by Khan two days later. Lutchmunsing's 21-year-old girlfriend, Shannon Weston, of Paddocks Close, Canewdon, was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Weston was accused of driving Khan and Lutchmunsing away from the shopping centre in her red Audi, and of helping her then-boyfriend to evade police between April 28 and May 4.
All three denied the offences.
They will be sentenced at the same court at a date that has not yet been arranged.
Senior investigating officer Temporary Detective Chief Inspector Julie Gowen said afterwards: “Although this incident played out over the course of a few minutes, the fatal assault was over in a matter of seconds.
“This case shows the tragic consequences that carrying a knife can have and how quickly an incident can escalate when weapons are involved.”
Some reporting by PA
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here