Colleague Lured and Beaten to Death in Chilling Wisbech Murder
A man has been convicted of manslaughter after luring a workmate to his house, where the victim was brutally beaten to death.
Burned Body Found at Industrial Estate
The charred body of 28-year-old Mindaugas Arlauskas was discovered around 5am on 9 May at an industrial estate in Wisbech. The horrific scene sparked a police investigation.
Violent Night at Milner Road House
- The night before, 24-year-old Tomas Lazdauskas invited Mindaugas to his home on Milner Road following a dispute involving two women.
- Mindaugas arrived to find Lazdauskas drinking with another man, 27-year-old Donatas Umbrasas.
- The three men went upstairs, where tempers quickly flared.
- Umbrasas attacked Mindaugas, knocking him down and slapping and punching him repeatedly in the face.
- He dragged Mindaugas outside and beat him to death using a metal pole, garden chair, and other items.
- Lazdauskas and Umbrasas then moved the body on Mindaugas’s bike to a nearby street.
- CCTV captured the pair pushing the body to an industrial estate where they set it on fire to destroy evidence.
Legal Fallout and Tributes
A post-mortem by Dr Ben Swift at Peterborough City Hospital confirmed Mindaugas died from blunt force trauma to the head.
At 1, Lazdauskas was acquitted of murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Umbrasas admitted murder at an earlier hearing.
Both men remain in custody and face sentencing on 18 December.
Detective Inspector Emma Pitts said: “Because of the barbaric actions of Lazdauskas and Umbrasas, a young man has been struck down in the prime of his life.”
“While it might not have been Lazdauskas’ intention to commit murder, he knowingly lured Mindaugas to his house, aware that Umbrasas intended to hurt him.”
“I hope this conviction brings some closure for Mr Arlauskas’s family.”
Mindaugas’s grieving parents added: “We are devastated by the sudden loss of our beloved son. He was much loved by us and our family and will be deeply missed.”
