LGBT activist beaten to death had no drugs in system despite police claiming he was a drug addict
The toxicology report revealed Zak Kostopoulos had no drugs in his system at the time of death
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
A Greek LGBT activist who was brutally beaten to death had no drugs in his system, despite police and media claiming he was a drug addict.
Zak Kostopoulos, 33, was filmed trying to leave a jewellery store on September 22 and was seen holding a fire extinguisher and tries to break through the front door, but when that didn’t work, he was forced to crawl on his hands and knees through a broken window.
Then the shop owner and another man approach him and start kicking him. Reportedly police were nearby but didn’t help until later.
Kostopoulos was taken to hospital but tragically died on route.
CNN Greece reported the coroner’s report gave no cause of death but said his body had several minor injuries insufficient to cause death.
However, the toxicology report and cause of death have been released and they go against the police’s official report of what happened.
The report revealed Kostopoulos had no drugs in his system at the time of his death. He also had a very low blood alcohol content, under the legal driving limit.
Coroner Nikos Kalogrias revealed that the LGBT activist and drag queen died of myocardial ischemia – also known as cardiac ischemia – and is when blood flow to the heart is reduced, preventing it from receiving oxygen.
Kalogrias concluded Kostopoulos’ physical injuries had a ‘causative effect’ on his death and said: “The cause of death of Zak Kostopoulos was the ischemic type of myocardial lesions, which were a causative link to the multiple lesions the deceased had on various parts of his body.”
Friends and family have called for the police and media to be held accountable after they tried to paint the LGBT activist as a drug addict and a thief.