A DAD was stabbed to death by a pal after flying into a rage when one of his eyebrows was shaved off in a drunken prank.
David Eaton, 37, turned on close friend Matthew Higgins after he woke up to find his left brow missing following a booze binge.
Higgins, 36, first tried pinning the blame on another pal but a brawl soon broke out at his home near Northwich, .
He then grabbed a knife from the kitchen and stabbed David – known as Bode – twice in the heart.
After carrying out the horror, he ran to a neighbour with blood on his hands, saying: “I've stabbed my mate. He was doing my head in.”
Higgins, who had admitted stabbing David but claimed it was in self-defence, has now been found guilty of murder.
Chester Crown heard the friends had been out drinking in September last year when David fell asleep on the sofa.
After he woke up to find his brow missing, a “scuffle” broke out where Davif “got the better” of Higgins.
At first the pair “appeared to brush themselves off and continue their day” when Higgins blamed their other friend for the prank.
But when David confronted that pal at his home, he swore on his mother's life he had no part in shaving off the eyebrow.
David then realised Higgins must have been behind the drunken joke and returned to his home where another brawl broke out.
His on-off girlfriend Emma Deed told the court David punched Higgins, who told him: “I'm not putting up with this.”
She continued: “I thought Matty went upstairs but Bode then went to the hallway and there was a bit of an argument.
“I heard Bode shout ‘knife' then ‘you've actually stabbed me. Emma he's stabbed me'.
”I asked Matty to let go of the knife, but he refused, saying: ‘No, he's not hitting me again'. I then heard Bode say ‘I'm sorry', before he slumped over.
”I was in a daze and I was screaming out to the neighbours. I was saying to Bode ‘stay with us, you're alright, you're fine, you're alright'.”
David suffered two wounds between 12 and 14.5cm deep that penetrated his ribcage and entered his heart.
As Higgins was being detained, he said: “F*****g hell, this is a bit of excitement isn't it.”
He later claimed David had fallen on the knife and described his arrest for murder as a “‘f*****g shambles”.
While in custody, Higgins headbutted an officer and continued spreading a web of lies to evade justice.
His deceit continued at his trial when he told jurors he only stabbed David in self-defence as he was “scared of him”.
Higgins has been remanded into custody to be sentenced next week.
Det Insp Eleanor Atkinson of Cheshire said: “This was a senseless which could easily have been avoided. Higgins let his anger after an argument get the better of him, foolishly choosing to pick up a knife – with devastating consequences.
“Despite his admissions at the scene which were heard by multiple witnesses, Higgins refused to accept responsibility for David's death and put his family through the ordeal of a trial.
“I hope the fact that Higgins has now been held accountable for his death will help to bring some closure to his friends and family.”
