A MAN will go on trial for murder over the stabbing of a young father.
Luke Eva, 24, of Avondale Road, Leigh-on-Sea, appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court yesterday (June 24) charged with killing Michael Haastrup at a property in Cressing Road, Braintree, at 11.30pm on April 16.
At the 10-minute hearing, he spoke only to confirm his name and plead not guilty to one count of murder and one count of having an offensive weapon in a public place.
Eva has been held by police since he was arrested in Loughton on April 17. Judge Charles Gratwicke remanded him in custody and a trial date was set for October 20.
Mr Haastrup, 24, of Enfield, north London, was taken to Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire, but he died the next morning. A post-mortem examination found the cause of death to be a stab wound to the heart.
Mr Haastrup – full name Prince Michael Adeboye Haastrup – was related to the Nigerian royal family and was also known as Larry, Jay Mic J and Larry Productions to his friends.
He became a father in December and had recently moved from Southend to Enfield with his girlfriend and son, as well as starting a new job.
On May 8, relatives of Mr Haastrup gathered outside the Cressing Road house where he died to read prayers of remembrance. His father, Prince Lawrence Haastrup, a bus driver in Brixton where Michael grew up, said: "He was loved by many and helped people when he could. He used to bring in young homeless children to spend Christmas with his family to make them feel a part of this world again and bring hope into their lives. May his humble soul rest in peace."
A 21-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender in connection with the murder was released without charge on June 20. A 57-year-old man also detained with relation to the offence was released with no further action in April.
