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A Breaking Bad-inspired murderer predicted he was going to rob someone just 24 hours before carrying out a brutal killing.
Today Maidstone Crown Court heard George Knights, 19, was desperate for money and told a friend he planned "to hurt someone" and rob them of £2,500.
That was precisely what he did to victim Stephen Chapman - before trying to dispose of the body by covering it in acid.
Now Knights, who was convicted in June last year, has been jailed for life and will serve a minimum of 23 years before he can be considered for parole.
Prosecutor Caroline Carberry QC told the court Knights took inspiration from American drugs crime drama Breaking Bad in trying to dispose of the body.
As the family of dad-of-five Mr Chapman began a desperate search for him - Knights went partying after stuffing the body in a wheelie bin and soaking it in acid.
The 38-year-old victim had died from a single stab wound from a double-edged military dagger which had been embedded deep into the skull.
He had been lured into meeting Knights who claimed he wanted to buy drugs - but Knights was virtually penniless.
Mr Chapman was murdered and then Knights went partying with £2,500 worth of drugs, the court heard.
Ms Carberry told how Mr Chapman's partner, Rebecca Leader revealed in a victim impact statement she couldn't put into words how the murder had affected her.
She was pregnant with his child at the time and gave birth during the trial to a daughter.
She said it feels like a dream and she hoped to wake up in the morning and everything would be back to normal.
A police officer called George Knights to question him after Mr Chapman went missing
She added that her world had been turned upside down and her heart torn into pieces and "a part of her went with him."
Ms Leader described her partner as "the kindest and most loveable man she knew who would go out of his way to help anyone."
At the time of the killing in October 2020, the couple were saving to get married - and Ms Leader is heartbroken as Stephen's name is not on their daughter's birth certificate as he is dead.
His sister Lisa revealed the family's anguish during the "lifeless days" as they waited to find out what had happened to him.
Footage of Knights boasting about drugs at a party
The prosecutor said: "Their mother was in pieces, refusing to believe he was dead and the family were horrified after discovering the degrading manner in which the body was found.. folded into a rubbish bin like a piece of filth... no person deserves to be treated in this despicable way... his life was torn from him and his body desecrated."
The judge heard that a former partner of Mr Chapman, Louise Prince - the mother of his 14-year-old son - told how the child "worshipped the ground his father walked on".
Read more from this trial
Speaking directly to Knights, she said: "You have torn my child's world apart. You have broken his heart. You have literally ruined his life and he will never get over this. It will haunt him forever... I will never forgive you."
During the month-long trial the jury had heard how Knights, of Delce Road, Rochester, was a self-styled shares trader who had turned his kitchen into a drugs factory to produce amphetamines.
He bought a £300 pill presser from China and stashed sulphuric acid in the kitchen.
And the jury heard of his obsession with knives – having a dagger, a machete and a knife from Crete in his house. He also bought and sold drugs.
Judge Statman said no-one will ever know precisely what happened after Mr Chapman arrived at Knights' home.
"But it was your intention to rob him of the cocaine he was carrying," he said. "You are a person who likes to big himself up... some may think a bragger.
"This was murder for financial gain. And after the killing you showed a callous manner when you went to a party and made a selfie.
"When the family of Mr Chapman called you, you demonstrated a callous regard. During the trial I saw no remorse in you although there are some indications now you are having an understanding of the future."
'He has been devoid of human emotion throughout this case and is a clear and obvious danger to the public.'
Gillian Jones QC, defending, claimed Knights had money from his city trading and it was not "a murder for gain but a drugs deal which went wrong".
"He regrets his actions and feels appalled by what he did," she added. "He is horrified by his actions."
She said he also disputed claims he habitually carried knives in public.
Ms Jones added that he had since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and ADHD.
Since his remand into custody he is now undertaking a mathematics course.
Commenting after the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Gavin Moss, the senior investigating officer for the case, said: "Throughout this case Knights has shown no remorse or empathy for his actions.
"He is a callous killer who robbed Stephen Chapman of his life, and on top of this his attempt to dispose of the body deprived Mr Chapman’s family of an opportunity to see him for a final time.
"He prevented Mr Chapman from having a future with his family and put them through the ordeal of a trial.
"He has been devoid of human emotion throughout this case and is a clear and obvious danger to the public.
"I’m pleased our investigation has led to his conviction."
