‘Cold-hearted’ killer jailed for 28 years for stabbing his former girlfriend to death in a jealous rage

A jealous boyfriend who brutally stabbed his former girlfriend to death has been jailed for life.

Genu Armeanu lay in wait for Elisabeta Lacatusu, 44, at her family home in Ilford, east London, before launching a frenzied attack against her with a knife he drew from his pocket.

Armeanu, 40, stabbed Ms Lacatusu repeatedly in the neck and torso, causing serious injuries which caused her death within a few minutes.

Following a trial at the Old Bailey, Armeanu, who was from the same city in Romania as Ms Lacatusu, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life with a minimum of 28 years.

Mother and grandmother Ms Lacatusu, 44, moved to London from Romania about two years before her death.

By the late summer of 2017, Ms Lacatusu’s family became aware that she had begun a relationship with Armeanu. Her family were not happy and she agreed to end the relationship.

However, when the victim repeatedly tried to end it Armeanu sent a host of text messages, at first threatening to kill himself and then threatening to kill her.

She told Armeanu that she wanted nothing to do with him and wanted to be left alone in December 2017 – four weeks before her murder.

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Shortly after the break-up, Ms Lacatusu told her family that Armeanu had started waiting for her outside the restaurant in Upton Park where she worked. A colleague had begun giving her a lift home when she worked the shift ending at midnight because of this.

Forensic work on Armeanu’s phone carried out by officers following his arrest revealed that he was making calls and sending text messages, sometimes dozens of times a day, to the victim expressing his love for her.

He had also sent a message to a family member saying that he was going to kill ‘Alina’ and himself.

On the day of Ms Lacatusu’s murder, Armeanu sent a number of text messages and made several phone calls to her. CCTV showed Armeanu walking up and down Norfolk Road waiting for Elisabeta. As soon as he saw her, he emerged from behind a van and approached her.

CCTV shows Armeanu and Ms Lacatusu having what appears to be a calm conversation when he suddenly pulled a knife from his right-hand jacket pocket and stabbed his former girlfriend.

Ms Lacatusu screamed for help and struggled to fight him off, but Armeanu hooked his left arm around her head and neck and repeatedly stabbed her.

At one point, Ms Lacatusu managed to stumble away, but Armeanu ran after her and held onto her, possibly stabbing her again, before pushing her to the ground.

He then calmly walked away. The attack lasted for 30 seconds.

Armeanu text a friend admitting what he had done and police arrested him shortly after.

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… He has shown absolutely no remorse for his despicable actions. Elisabeta’s family are completely devastated.’