A MAN WHO launched a premeditated, vicious attack on his girlfriend which killed her within minutes has been convicted of murder and jailed for life – with a recommendation that he serve a minimum of 28 years. The jury took just 15 minutes to convict the murderer after a three day trial at the Old Bailey.
At approximately 7pm on 3rd January, Genu Armeanu, 45, of Coleridge Avenue, E12, waited for his former girlfriend, Elisabeta Lacatusu, to return to her home in Norfolk Road, Ilford. As she arrived, he began speaking to her – but then took a knife out of his pocket and began stabbing her, before walking off.
It was a vicious attack, during which she sustained serious injuries to her neck and torso. The emergency services arrived within minutes, but she was declared dead at the scene at 7.16pm. A post mortem examination revealed that the victim had suffered 19 separate stab wounds
The court heard that Elisabeta had moved to London from Romania some two years before she was murdered. She had three daughters and two grandchildren. Armeanu was from the same city in Romania as Elisabeta and they had know each other since childhood.
The two met again when Armeanu began collecting rent from a shared house where Elisabeta’s daughter was living. They began a relationship. Elisabeta’s family were not happy with this and she ended the relationship – at which point Armeanu began threatening to kill himself, or her. The police found that Armeanu had been texting Elisabeta repeatedly, repeating these threats. He began waiting for Elisabeta outside the restaurant where she worked, and a colleague had been giving her a lift home to avoid him.
On the day of the murder, Armeanu was recorded on CCTV. He was seen walking up and down the road, approaching her – and then stabbing her, before dropping his knife and walking away.
Armeanu sent a text to a friend admitting he had murdered Elisabeta. The text was show to police and Armeanu was arrested. During questioning by police, he admitted the killing and said he did this because he believed Elisabeta had formed a new relationship and he was jealous.
Madalina Lacatusu, Elisabeta’s daughter, said: “My mother was an exceptional mother who loved us and she raised us with a lot of love, attention and care. My mother was full of life, happy and energetic. She spent her life bringing me and my sisters Ioana and Elena up.
“Her death shattered our daily peace and now we just try to survive. I don’t really know how I still carry on living. I am scared to walk out on the streets, I try to go out accompanied. Our entire work as a family starting here from zero and all our dreams of a better life are shattered. We have to start anew, without our mother, without the pillar of our lives.”
Detective Sergeant Perry Benton, from the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: “Armeanu knew on that day that he was going to take Elisabeta’s life, in a planned and premeditated attack. He went armed with a knife which showed that he knew exactly what he wanted to do. He was jealous and he had an inability to accept that the relationship between them was over.
“This was a violent, wicked and cold-hearted attack on a much-loved mother and grandmother. Despite the overwhelming evidence against Armeanu, he has refused to admit his guilt and has put the victim’s family through a trial, where some family members have been forced to re-live that horrific day by giving evidence. He has shown absolutely no remorse for his despicable actions. Elisabeta’s family are completely devastated.
“I hope today’s conviction and sentencing gives Elisabeta’s family a small amount of comfort and closure.”
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