Norwich man jailed for life for murdering neighbour
It happened in November 2024
A Norwich man, who stabbed his neighbour after an argument, has been jailed for life.
Elvis Vickers, aged 48, formerly of Mousehold Street, Norwich was sentenced today (Friday 20 March 2026) at Norwich Crown Court for murdering 48-year old Abdul Chadli, also of Mousehold Street.
The court heard how on Friday 1 November 2024 the two men, who lived in adjacent flats, had been drinking together at Vickers' home, when they started to argue about current affairs.
Just after 10pm, Vickers sent a text message to a friend which read "just to let you know, I just killed Abs". Seven minutes later Vickers called 999 and said, "I've got a dead body in my flat, mate", before telling the call handler "Yeah, I killed him".
Officers arrived to find Abdul Chadli, who was originally from Hertfordshire, with a single knife wound to the chest. He died at the scene.
Vickers had denied murder but a jury at his trial in December 2025 unanimously found him guilty and today he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years.
After Abdul’s death, friends and family paid tribute to "a kind, caring and gentle guy”, adding "we wish we could tell him how much we miss him and love him and how every day we wish we had appreciated the short time we got to spend with him."
In a statement read in court today, Abdul's mother described him as a "quiet, respectful and deeply caring" son who excelled at school and took pleasure in helping others.
She said: “Abdul was everything to me. He gave me love, comfort, and purpose. He had such warmth. Now, I feel cold, lost and broken.
"I feel as though part of me died with Abdul. I miss him so much - he had so much of his life left to live.”
After sentencing, Detective Inspector Sam Pontin said: “Nothing can reverse the events of that night in November 2024 but we hope that today's sentence at least provides some measure of justice for Abdul's loved ones as they continue to come to terms with their loss.
“The strength and dignity they’ve displayed throughout has been commendable and our thoughts remain with them today and moving forward.”