Brutal Rush Common Murder Solved by DNA Breakthrough
On July 12, 2021, Mauricio ‘Maurice’ Nascimento, 44, was found battered to death in Rush Common, SW2. He suffered horrific injuries – a broken nose, fractured skull, broken neck, and nearly all his ribs cracked in a savage attack.
DNA Evidence Nails Two Suspects
Police launched a murder probe but initially had no leads. The breakthrough came after forensic teams matched DNA from a discarded belt and Maurice’s unbuttoned shirt to Arturas Ptickinas, 29, of Norwood High Street, SE27. The odds of the DNA belonging to anyone else? One in a billion.
Ptickinas’s DNA was also found on Maurice’s wrists, proving he helped drag the victim’s body into the bushes. More testing revealed DNA from three men – Maurice, Ptickinas, and Ernestas Aleksandrovas, 29, also from Norwood High Street – on Maurice’s face and neck where the blows landed.
Phone Records and CCTV Seal the Case
Crucial CCTV footage showed Ptickinas and Aleksandrovas leaving home and heading towards Rush Common the night Maurice was killed. Aleksandrovas’s phone pinged a nearby mast at 3:16 am, placing him at the scene.
Convictions Secured at Kingston Crown Court
On January 20, both men faced justice at Kingston Crown Court. Ptickinas was convicted of murder. Aleksandrovas was found guilty of murder and perverting the course of justice.
“This case demonstrated how the Met combines forensic expertise with the investigative skills of our homicide detectives to solve murders,” said Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley.
“We’ll never know what led to Maurice Nascimento’s brutal death. But I’m relieved these two are behind bars and off London’s streets for good.”
