Lithuanian man to face trial for murder of friend in drunken row

A MAN who allegedly kicked his friend to death and tried to carve the word ‘rat’ into his chest is to stand trial for murder, a judge has ordered.

Sarunas Nauburaitis (34) is also accused of stealing and using a bank card belonging to the victim, whose body lay undiscovered for up to a week.

Police found 44-year-old Maris Ludborzs lying dead in the kitchen of the defendant’s north Belfast home in May this year.

A sleeping bag had

been placed over his body and a toy skeleton rodent was located in his boxer shorts, detectives previously disclosed.

Mr Ludborzs’s identity was only confirmed after checks were carried out in his native Latvia.

Nauburaitis, a Lithuanian national of Oakley Street in the city, is charged with carrying out the murder on a date unknown between May 14 and 24.

He faces two further counts of theft and fraud by false representation in connection with one of Mr Ludborzs’s bank cards.

He was arrested after walking into a PSNI station just before the body was discovered.

Police told an earlier hearing that Nauburaitis claimed to have kicked the victim about the head and body for offending him during a drinking session.

He also allegedly said that he attempted to pour bleach on Mr Ludborzs’s face, put a bin bag over his head and tried to carve ‘rat’ in his chest.

During a preliminary enquiry hearing at Belfast Magistrates Court yesterday, the accused confirmed that he understood the charges against him.

He declined to call witnesses or give evidence at this stage.

Defence barrister Richard McConkey did not contest prosecution submissions that his client has a case to answer.

On that basis District Judge George Conner granted an application for the case to proceed to trial.

He told the defendant: “You will be returned for trial at Belfast Crown Court on a date to be fixed.”

Nauburaitis remains in custody and will appear again for arraignment sometime next year.