Matthew Demko

Matthew Demko was beaten to death in a garage at his friend's house in Links Road, Ashtead on 4 April 2008.

His 25-year-old friend was tried for his murder but acquitted.

Matthew Demko had been beaten with a metal barbell and strangled with wire. He had lived in Gainsborough Road, Epsom, whilst his friend had lived in Links Road, Ashtead. They had been friends since childhood.

The friend said that a mystery man killed Matthew Demko.

Matthew Demko had been a drug dealer and his friend had been a street dealer, selling cocaine and cannabis. However his friend had owed Matthew Demko £6,000 which Matthew Demko had gone to collect. His friend had owed Matthew Demko £1,000 after he had been robbed of some drugs near a railway crossing a few weeks earlier, and had also owed him for some cocaine that had been provided for a party a few weeks before, making a total debt of £6,000.

Matthew Demko had been selling drugs since he was 16 and after he left college he started selling cocaine and ecstasy. However, at the time of his murder he was said to have owed drug dealers £3,000, but that he was having difficulty paying them as his own drug dealers and customers were not paying him. The man that he was said to have owed £3,000 had been from Kingston.

A university friend of Matthew Demko said that he had been in a pub in Ashtead with Matthew Demko when the drug dealer from Kingston came in with another man and the drug dealer punched Matthew Demko in the face over the £3,000 debt that he had owed him and then walked out.

At the trial a list of 40 people who had possibly known Matthew Demko was read out, with Matthew Demko's friend confirming that Matthew Demko had supplied at least 14 of them with drugs.

It was also heard that one of the people named had owed Matthew Demko £3,000 and that Matthew Demko had punched the man in the face over it.

It was noted that one of the men on the list had owed Matthew Demko £4,000 for cannabis and had lived in Thailand. Matthew Demko's friend said, 'I know he went to speak to his dad about it. He went round to his house and his dad said he would 'make fair''.

Matthew Demko's university friend said that he knew that over the years Matthew Demko's business grew and that he once bought 5kg off a supplier with an estimated value of £12,000. He said that on average Matthew Demko sold 1oz of cocaine, 4.5oz of cannabis and about 100 ecstasy pills every week. He said that the man supplying Matthew Demko had been an Albanian man who lived in London, but that he didn't know his name, adding that Matthew Demko would say, 'I'’m going up to Fulham to meet my guy', but that he would never mention his name.

His friend had been a landscape gardener.

Matthew Demko's friend said that Matthew Demko had been okay about the £1,000 debt and had told him that they would sort it out, adding that his money organisation wasn't great and that they would often end up chasing each other around.

He said that on 28 March 2008 that he sent Matthew Demko a text message apologising for not having settled the debt, but adding that he could pay a little more as he had found some money in his shoe and they arranged to meet at his house the following week.

However, it was heard that within half an hour of Matthew Demko arriving at his friend’s house on 4 April 2008 that he was attacked. 

Matthew Demkos friend said that he tried to resuscitate Matthew Demko with the help of his father and then called the emergency services, saying that there had been a terrible accident.

Matthew Demko's friend said that he had left Matthew Demko in his garage to go and collect a CD and that when he returned he saw a man walking nonchalantly down the drive and then found Matthew Demko injured.

Matthew Demko died at the scene from injuries to his face and skull and it was also found that he had been strangled with a piece of wire.

However, the police said that their investigations had failed to find any evidence that another man had been present. 

It was also suggested that Surrey's gipsy community may have been involved and that another drug dealer might have been responsible.

Matthew Demko's friend was acquitted of murder on 12 February 2009. It was noted that the friend’s father died on 25 September 2008 after being hit by a train at a level crossing near Ashtead Station. An open verdict was returned at his inquest after it was heard that it couldn't be determined whether he had intended to commit suicide or whether it had been accidental and due to his mental state. His inquest heard that his son's trial had caused him considerable distress and anxiety.

The father had been the second person on the scene following the attack on Matthew Demko and had attempted to save his life and called the emergency services.