Man stabbed flatmate to death over row about haircut

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A man has been found guilty of murdering his flatmate by stabbing him to death with a kitchen knife after arguing about a haircut.

Jairo Sepulveda-Garcia, 37, of no fixed address, stabbed Spanish national David Lopez-Fernandez, 32, inside Pat Shaw House in Globe Road, Bethnal Green, east London on 25 February.

The building was formerly a care home for elderly people until it closed in 2018. Homeless people were living there at the time of the murder, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

After a trial at Southwark Crown Court, Sepulveda-Garcia was found guilty of one count of murder on 18 December and is due to be sentenced on Friday.

Mr Lopez-Fernandez had only been in the country for three weeks before the attack. On the day of the murder, he called Sepulveda-Garcia and asked if he wanted a haircut.

An argument broke out after the victim hurt him with a pair of clippers while cutting his hair, Sepulveda-Garcia told police.

Witnesses saw Mr Lopez-Fernandez stumble out of the room, saying he had been stabbed before collapsing in the hallway.

He suffered six wounds including a severe injury to the back of his knee. Paramedics were called but could not revive him.

Sepulveda-Garcia fled the building but later handed himself in to the police.

Cath Carrie, of the CPS, said: “This was a mindless murder over a trivial matter. 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.”