A teenage killer stabbed a man to death at a shopping centre in North Lanarkshire.
Michael McKeown was 18 years old when he struck James Ross on February 14, 2022.
The 27-year-old victim – nicknamed Chuckie – did not survive the attack at Abronhill Shopping Centre in Cumbernauld.
McKeown – now 20 – had faced a murder accusation at a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
He had claimed to be acting in self-defence.
But on Tuesday, jurors convicted him of the reduced charge of culpable homicide.
First offender McKeown, of Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire, had been on bail during the trial.
However, he was remanded in custody by judge Lady Drummond pending sentencing next month.
The attack occurred at around 4pm while McKeown was out with friends.
CCTV captured Mr Ross – who barely knew the killer – approach the group with an associate.
The court heard McKeown ended up kicking Mr Ross while he also had a knife in his hand.
In his speech to jurors, prosecutor Greg Farrell said the killer then “appeared to lunge forward with an outstretched arm”.
Mr Ross was stabbed in the face and chest.
The victim initially gave chase as McKeown and his friends ran off.
But, Mr Farrell told the court: “Shortly afterwards he would collapse and die.
“This was a brutal assault in broad daylight and McKeown was not acting in self defence.”
In his evidence, McKeown told his KC Thomas Ross that he could not “give a good answer” as to why he stabbed his victim.
He claimed to have a blade as he was a young boy and not from that area.
McKeown insisted to Mr Farrell, in cross-examination, that he had not been “thinking” about knifing Mr Ross.
He claimed it was he who was “fighting for his life”.
Mr Farrell: “You were trying to show your friends who the big man was here?”
McKeown: “I was trying to protect them.”
After the verdict, Mr Farrell told Lady Drummond there were three impact statements completed by relatives of Mr Ross.
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