Marius Ziugzda, 48, of no fixed address, was convicted on January 17 at Wood Green Crown Court for the murder of Brian Shields, following a two-week trial.
Brian, who lived in a disused pavilion in a park with Ziugzda, was killed on October 20, 2022, by “blunt force trauma to his head” – injuries consistent with multiple punches or kicks.
Detective Sergeant David Brooks, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “Despite Ziugzda’s claims that he and Brian were friends, he subjected him to a sustained and ultimately fatal attack.
“This verdict is a testament to the hard work of the investigation team, the numerous witnesses who came forward, and the efforts of the wider police team.”
On the morning of his death, police were called at 11.14am to Orchard Playing Fields in Redbridge, following reports of an unresponsive man.
Despite the efforts of emergency services, Brian died.
At the scene, Ziugzda approached the cordon and told officers he had been with Brian the previous evening.
He claimed he had slept at the location and found Brian dead upon waking.
The 48-year-old said: “I killed him today, I don’t know what… my friend, in the morning I killed him, now…”
When later questioned by detectives about his comments, he claimed the police officer must have misunderstood him.
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Ziugzda said that he and Brian arrived at the park at 8pm on October 19, 2022, and at some point, he left Brian to get water from a local shop.
He claimed that upon leaving and returning to Brian, he found him uninjured.
He confirmed that it was only the two of them at the location and that they sat up for a period of time drinking and smoking before Ziugzda had fallen asleep next to Brian at the pavilion.
However, CCTV footage showed Ziugzda visiting a shop with visible red staining on his trousers, later identified as Brian’s blood, contradicting his account of Brian being uninjured before he went to sleep.
Following this evidence, Ziugzda was charged on October 23, 2022.
He has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing at Wood Green Crown Court on February 13.
