A man has been convicted of murder for a "needless act of violence" in which he stabbed an uncle trying to protect his niece from unwanted attention.
Daniel Mitchell-Monroe, 37, was fatally stabbed after trying to stop Joram Bakumanya from harassing his niece in Market Pavement, Basildon, in June.
Bakumanya, 22, fled and was later arrested and charged with murder.
He was convicted following a week-long trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, and will be sentenced in the New Year.
Mr Mitchell-Monroe's family described him as their "hero", and said his death had left them "devastated".
"He truly was one in a million, a very special person who forever will be loved and missed," his sister Dionne Martin said.
The court heard Mr Mitchell-Monroe had been out shopping in Basildon with his niece and had been to get a haircut, leaving his niece to wait for him.
She had been approached by Bakumanya of no fixed address, and when she rejected his advances he became aggressive and abusive.
When her uncle arrived, the two men got into an altercation, and Bakumanya stabbed him three times in the chest with a large kitchen knife.
Following the verdict, Det Insp Al Pitcher from Essex Police said: "My thoughts are very much with Daniel's family, who have been left devastated by Bakumanya's needless act of violence."