Man stabbed friend in row over shaved eyebrow

A man who shaved his sleeping friend's eyebrow off as a drunken prank before stabbing him to death has been jailed.

Matthew Higgins, 36, murdered 37-year-old David Eaton on 28 September 2024 after the pair clashed repeatedly the day after the "childish joke".

The "red mist descended" for Higgins when Mr Eaton lashed out at his home in Northwich, Cheshire, leading him to grab a kitchen knife and stab his friend to death, Chester Crown Court heard.

Judge Steven Everett told Higgins he had been "vengeful and vindictive" and jailed him life with a minimum term of 18 years.

The court heard the night before, the pair had been drinking before Mr Eaton fell asleep and his friend shaved his eyebrow.

The next day, a furious Mr Eaton punched and kicked at Higgins on a street in Northwich, but did not cause any injuries.

They later clashed again at Higgins's home in Brook Lane as Mr Eaton struck out, but again caused no injuries.

Judge Everett said: "It made you behave in a vengeful and vindictive way. You decided you were going to do something about it.

"You lured him into the hallway and then repeatedly stabbed him."

Higgins left Mr Eaton on the floor as he went outside and told a neighbour: "Best ring an ambulance. I have just stabbed my mate."

The court heard he swore and said Mr Eaton was "doing my head in".

"What he did was wrong but in part the pair of you brought this on by your childish behaviour," Judge Everett said.

The court heard Higgins then lied to police when he claimed Mr Eaton had fallen on the knife.

Higgins later said he acted in self-defence but a jury rejected his account and convicted him of murder.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer following his arrest.

In a victim personal statement read to the court, Mr Eaton's mother, Carol, said her son had a drink problem and "did not always make the best decisions", but he was a "kind and caring soul who helped others where possible".

She said: "David was robbed of the possibility of changing his lifestyle."

In mitigation, Owen Edwards KC said: "This was a incident between two friends living similar lifestyles. In one case a life lost, and in another case a life truly wasted.

"Alcohol has been the root cause of most problems in his life."

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