A man has been convicted of murdering a 60-year-old following an investigation by specialist Met detectives.
Marius Ziugzda, 48, of no fixed address, was found guilty on Friday, 17 January, of the murder of Brian Shields following a two-week week trial at Wood Green Crown Court.
Brian, who lived in a disused pavilion in a park with Ziugzda, was killed by blunt force trauma to his head and chest on 20 October 2022 – 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 11:14 p.m. to Orchard playing fields (formerly Goodmayes Park extension) in Redbridge following reports of an unresponsive man at the location. Despite the efforts of emergency services, Brian sadly died.
At the scene, Ziugzda approached the cordon despite being told by officers that he could not enter the park. Ziugzda then spoke with officers and said he had been with Brian the previous evening.
Ziugzda said that he had slept at the location and had woken up there that morning to find Brian dead. He said, “I killed him today, I don’t know what….” He then said something incomprehensible before saying, “My friend, in the morning I killed him, now…..”
Officers noted that Ziugzda’s hands appeared to have scuff marks and scratches on them, and when detectives later questioned him about his earlier comments, he said that the police officer must have misunderstood what he said.
In an interview, Ziugzda said that he and Brian arrived at the Park at 20:00 p.m. on 19 October 2022, and at some point that evening, Ziugzda said that 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 fell asleep next to Brian at the pavilion.
To confirm Ziugzda’s claims, detectives viewed 10 hours of CCTV footage from the two nearest shops to the park and found that Ziugzda had visited one to buy water and alcohol but that, at the time, he had visible red staining on his trousers. This was later forensically examined and identified as Brian’s blood, contradicting his account of Brian being uninjured before he went to sleep.
Officers also gathered witness statements, which revealed that at about 23:00 p.m., loud, aggressive shouting of two distinct male voices could be heard from the area of the disused pavilion.
Following this evidence, Ziugzda was subsequently charged on 23 October 2022.
He has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing at the Wood Green Crown Court on Thursday, 13 February.
