Two robbers who blamed each other after they stabbed a man to death have both been found guilty of his murder.
Stefan Stelian Moraru, 44, was left to die alone by the roadside in Chandos Avenue in March 2023.
Armand Tafa, 40, and Migen Emilova, 36, had ambushed him in the street before stealing his car.
Although the motive remains unclear, police believe there was an argument between the three men involving drugs.
Tafa and Emilova, both of no fixed address, have now been convicted of Stefan’s murder.
Officers had been called to Chandos Avenue at around 6am on March 20 last year to reports of a man injured.
They found Stefan dead at the scene. A post-mortem confirmed he had died from a stab wound to the heart.
Detectives established that Stefan had left his home at 10pm the night before, telling his housemates he would be back in 10 minutes.
But he never returned and it was established that he was ambushed some point between 10.30pm and 11pm.
CCTV from the area was found to have footage showing Tafa and Emilova approach Stefan’s Ford Focus before struggling with him.
Stefan was able to run away but was already stabbed, police said.
The two men searched his car before stealing it and driving away in convoy.
They then parked the car on Simmons Way, where they carried out a second search.
Tafa and Emilova were arrested the following week.
On Wednesday (March 20) the pair were found guilty of murder by a jury at the Old Bailey.
Tafa was also found guilty of robbery, while Emilova had pleaded guilty to robbery before the trial.
They will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday (March 22).
Detective Chief Inspector Neil John, from the Metropolitan Police's Specialist Crime Command, said: “Firstly, our thoughts today are with Stefan’s family who have had to endure listening to the horrific details of the night he was murdered.
“His life was taken in an act of violence, and he was abandoned in the street to die alone. No one should have to spend the last minutes of their life in such circumstances.
“It is only right that Armand Tafa and Migen Emilova – who blamed each other for the murder – have been convicted and they now face many years in prison to contemplate their actions.”
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