Essex man convicted of murder after stabbing man who woke him up early
He's now facing a potential life sentence
An Essex man has been convicted of murder after stabbing a friend to death outside a home in Nazeing.
33 year old Robert Crabtree, of no fixed address, got into an argument with his victim, 33 year old Jimmy Moore, after Moore arrived to pick up Crabtree's brother for work on September 25 last year.
Robert was angry at being woken up by Moore and ended up stabbing him multiple times.
He continued his attack even after Moore fell to the floor.
Moore managed to stagger back to his car and drive away, but soon collapsed behind the wheel. He died at the scene.
Crabtree initially claimed self defence but he was caught carrying out the attack on CCTV.
He was found guilty of murder at Chelmsford Crown Court yesterday (August 8).
His brother, 30 year old Ryan Crabtree, of no fixed address, was convicted of perverting the course of justice.
He had attempted to clean up the crime scene and had turned off the CCTV after the incident.
The pair will be sentenced on September 9.
Detective Superintendent Scott Egerton, of Essex Police, said:
“Robert Crabtree used extreme violence to settle an argument and it had fatal consequences."
"Perhaps what is most galling is that the dispute over which Jimmy Moore lost his life was so innocuous.
"This case highlights the serious impact knives can have and how easily their use can significantly escalate any situation.
"It is utterly heart-breaking that Jimmy has lost his life over waking someone up.
"No court result will ever bring him back to his family but I hope this will help them move forward.”