A US national who armed himself with a hunting knife to murder a security guard during an attempted eviction has been jailed for life.
Chad Henderson, who stabbed Nathan Burton four times in the chest, was ordered to serve a minimum term of 19 years after a judge said the 46-year-old had intended to kill his victim.
Henderson, who became “stranded” in the UK during the Covid pandemic, was found guilty of murder at Birmingham Crown Court in September after refusing to take part in or attend his trial.
Jurors convicted him by a majority 11-1 verdict, rejecting his account of having acted in self-defence after barricading himself into his rented flat in Woodhurst Road, Moseley, Birmingham.
The trial was told that Mr Burton, a father of a young daughter, was stabbed shortly before 11pm on April 7 2021 after going to the property with two colleagues and a locksmith.
The 27-year-old victim, from Wolverhampton, was stabbed at the top of a flight of stairs and died in hospital the following day.
Passing sentence on Monday, Judge Simon Drew KC said: “The defendant had every opportunity to participate in his trial, with or without a lawyer.
“Regrettably he has repeatedly tried to disrupt and delay these proceedings.
“That finally comes to an end today.”
The judge, who heard that Henderson was in rent arrears and had thwarted previous efforts to remove him from the property, said: “In the first week of April the defendant became increasingly difficult, abusive, aggressive and obstructive.
The history of his conduct throughout clearly shows that he was readying himself for a violent physical confrontation - when the opportunity came he took up the knife he had ready to hand, and had no hesitation in using it— Judge Simon Drew KC
“By then the defendant had developed a siege mentality, and he made preparations to resist any attempt to remove him from the flat by barricading the door and blocking the stairway, and he had at least one knife to hand.
“By their verdict the jury clearly rejected the defendant’s explanation.
“The history of his conduct throughout clearly shows that he was readying himself for a violent physical confrontation, when the opportunity came he took up the knife he had ready to hand, and had no hesitation in using it.”
The number, location and severity of the wounds inflicted indicated an intention to kill, the judge added.
Police said Henderson called officers following the murder and told the operator “I defended myself” and later claimed in interview to have been putting measures in place to stop a “home invasion”.
Several victim impact statement from family members were read to the court, including those of Mr Burton’s parents and siblings.
Mr Burton’s mother told the court the loss of her “selfless and thoughtful” son had left her suffering a constant state of numbness, while the victim’s father described him as “calm, humble and loving”.
“My son had so much to offer society,” he said.
“Nathan worked tremendously hard at school and carried that ethos into the world of work.
“The pain relating to this whole event is indescribable.”
