The death of a Lithuanian man in Hounslow was initially treated as a suspected murder. More than a year later a coroner concluded the case was “alcohol-related”.
Edvinas Lukosevicius, 36, died outside Hounslow West Underground Station in west London, on 12 March 2022.
The press release put out by the Metropolitan Police at the time described him as a Polish national under the name Eovinas Lukosevitius and stated that he was found collapsed in Cavendish Parade at around 3.36am.
An initial postmortem examination was described as “inconclusive” but the case was initially investigated by a team headed by Detective Chief Inspector Jim Shirley of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command.
A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and police said they believed the victim had been involved in a fight, or “altercation” about an hour before his death.
DCI Shirley said: “I would ask anyone who saw any suspicious activity to come forward.”
A year later the inquest into his death was held at West London Coroner’s Court, on 26 May 2023.
It revealed that Edvinas, a construction worker living in Bath Road, Hounslow, was born in Lithuania on 24 October 1985.
Coroner Lydia Brown recorded that Lukosevicius’ cause of death was “alcohol intoxication with positional asphyxia”, which means he was unable to breathe properly after collapsing in the street.
The inquest report also reveals that Lukosevicious had been drinking alcohol for “many hours” before he received minor injuries during “an altercation with others.”
It adds: “He collapsed into a kneeling position on the ground where he remained for approximately 20
minutes and died outside 8 Cavendish Parade, Bath Road, Hounslow, from fatal compromise to his airway due to
intoxication with alcohol.”
The conclusion was recorded only as “alcohol-related death”.
For this reason his name was taken out of the list of homicides for 2021.