Fawaz Abdulkareem, 36, fatally stabbed Daniel Manuel, 32, at his flat on Bondway following an argument over a debt he owed.
Met detectives quickly identified him as the murderer – arresting him at the scene and charging him the following day.
They saw through Abdulkareem’s claims that he had acted in self-defence and found the murder weapon after he had tried to dispose of it – throwing it from the window of the 14th floor flat.
Abdulkareem, 36, of Bondway, Southwark, was unanimously convicted of murder and possession of a bladed article in a public place at Croydon Crown Court on Thursday, 21 May. He was sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 17 years on Friday, 5 June.
Zulal, Daniel’s wife, said: “Daniel was not just my husband, he was my partner, my home, my emotional safety and the person I built my entire life around.
“Losing him in such a violent and sudden way has completely shattered my world.
“This loss has affected every part of my life, emotionally, physically, financially and I am still trying to survive the aftermath of it.”
Daniel was found with three stab wounds in the lobby of the block of flats where Abdulkareem lived on Saturday, 5 July 2025.
Police were called at 05.38hrs and officers arrived within six minutes, performing emergency first aid. But despite their best efforts and the work of doctors and paramedics he died at the scene.
Daniel and Abdulkareem had spent the evening at a nightclub, returning with a group of friends to Abdulkareem’s flat in the early hours of the morning. It was following an argument about money that Daniel was suddenly stabbed three times with a kitchen knife.
Following the attack, Abdulkareem left the flat with the knife still in the waistband of his trousers, taking his t-shirt off and using it to disguise the weapon when he reported Daniel’s injuries to staff in the communal lobby.
When Abdulkareem realised emergency services were on their way, he tried to dispose of the blade out of the window.
But one of the responding officers noticed Daniel’s blood on his clothing – arresting him at the scene