Man Kills Best Friend Over Debt
A London court has sentenced a 36-year-old man to life imprisonment for murdering his friend during a dispute over money, after rejecting his claim that he acted in self-defence.
The convict, Fawaz Abdulkareem, was found guilty of fatally stabbing 32-year-old Daniel Manuel at a flat in the Bondway area of Vauxhall, south London.
According to a statement released on Saturday by the Metropolitan Police Service, Abdulkareem was unanimously convicted of murder and possession of a bladed article in a public place by jurors at Croydon Crown Court on May 21, 2026.
He was subsequently sentenced on June 5 to life imprisonment and ordered to serve a minimum of 17 years before becoming eligible for parole.
Police said the fatal attack occurred after an argument over money allegedly owed by Abdulkareem to the victim.
Investigators disclosed that both men had spent the evening at a nightclub before returning to the flat, where the disagreement escalated into violence.
Officers were called to the scene at about 5:38 a.m. and arrived within minutes. They found Manuel suffering from three stab wounds in the lobby of the building.
Despite efforts by emergency responders to save his life, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said detectives quickly identified Abdulkareem as the attacker and arrested him at the location. He was formally charged the following day.
According to investigators, the convict attempted to frustrate the investigation by disposing of the knife used in the attack, allegedly throwing it from a 14th-floor window.
Detective Inspector Luke Hampton, who led the investigation, said the victim had been killed by someone he considered a friend.
“Daniel was murdered in a moment of extreme violence by a man he thought was his friend,” Hampton said.
“Abdulkareem tried to deceive police, recklessly throwing the murder weapon from the window of the 14th floor of a tower block and cruelly claiming it was Daniel who had attacked him.”
The detective added that evidence gathered during the investigation contradicted Abdulkareem’s account and showed the victim was likely attacked while his back was turned.
“Met detectives saw through his lies and worked hard to secure a conviction. Abdulkareem’s claims of self-defence were dismissed by the jury,” Hampton said.
The victim’s wife, Zulal, described the devastating impact of her husband’s death in an emotional statement presented during court proceedings.
“Daniel was not just my husband, he was my partner, my home, my emotional safety and the person I built my entire life around,” she said.
“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.”
The conviction brings an end to a case that prosecutors said stemmed from a disagreement over debt, culminating in a fatal attack that claimed the life of a young man at the hands of someone he trusted as a friend.
