Two men jailed for life for murder in Nelson

Thursday, May 2, 2024

Two people have been given life sentences for murdering a man inside the home they shared in Nelson. 

Following a three-week trial at Preston Crown Court, Laimonas Prascevicius (pictured right) and Rimantas Vystartas (pictured left) were today (2^nd May) found guilty of murdering 53-year-old Andrej Minin.

Our officers were called by the North West Ambulance Service around 5.20am on 5^th November 2023 to a report that Andrej had been found dead at the bottom of the stairs of a property in Fir Street.

A Home Office post-mortem examination found that Andrej died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head and neck.

Our enquiries revealed that Andrej (pictured below) had been severely beaten, kicked and stamped on and then dragged to the bottom of the stairs in an attempt to cover up his murder.

The distribution of blood belonging to Andrej found on the trousers of Prascevicius and Vystartas showed that they were responsible for the fatal assault.

Prascevicius and Vystartas denied any responsibility or involvement in Andrej’s death.

However, their denials were rejected by the jury.

Prascevicius, 54, of Ball Street, Nelson, and Vystartas, 54, of Rigby Street, Nelson, were both sentenced to life imprisonment.

The judge, Mr Justice Lavender, ordered both men to serve a minimum tariff of 19 years. 

DCI Tracey McMurdo, of our Force Major Investigation Team, said: “This was a brutal and cowardly attack committed against a vulnerable man in his own home.

“Rather than seek help for a man they once called a friend, Prascevicius and Vystartas instead sought to cover their tracks by moving his body.

“I want to thank the jury for their considered verdicts and hope these verdicts give Andrej’s loved ones some sense of closure.”