Daniel James Long, a schizophrenic man who previously served time after killing his neighbour by blocking his gas flue with a potato, was found dead at his home in St Austell in January.
A schizophrenic man who previously served a prison sentence after killing his neighbour by blocking his gas flue with a potato was found dead in his flat.
Daniel James Long, also known as Daniel Burgess, was found lifeless by his keyworker during a routine morning welfare check at his assisted living accommodation in St Austell in January this year, an inquest has heard.
The 47-year-old was discovered slumped on the floor between his sofa and coffee table, with a live feed running to friends in the USA across two smartphones. Despite the best efforts of paramedics, he could not be saved.
An inquest into his death revealed that he had lived in Newlyn and Penzance over the years and had displayed behavioural difficulties from a young age.
Daniel was said to be intelligent, but was diagnosed with schizophrenia early in life and battled with his mental health throughout, reports Cornwall Live.
The inquest, held in Truro, heard how he had spent time in a young offenders’ institution before later serving a prison sentence.
In a statement read aloud in court, his mother Holly Morris described how supporting him had proved challenging at times. She revealed that her last contact with him was in 2021, at which point Daniel had been living off his benefits payments, using the money to fund an illicit drug habit.
She said he would constantly ask her for money to spend on drugs, but stopped when she ultimately put her foot down.
Ms Morris recalled the final time she encountered Daniel at a family reunion, where he consumed an entire bottle of vodka, leading to a falling out. She noted that her son could become fixated on things at times.
In 2017, Daniel, who was living on the Gwavas Estate in Newlyn at the time, received a prison sentence of two years and eight months at Exeter Crown Court following his guilty plea to the manslaughter of 48-year-old Michael Horner.
Mr Horner passed away at his Penzance residence in December 2015 due to carbon monoxide poisoning after Daniel deliberately blocked his boiler flue with a potato and expandable foam, following a dispute between the pair.
Today’s inquest into Daniel’s death (Tuesday, June 30) revealed that he succumbed to respiratory depression caused by an overdose of opiates, cannabis and synthetic opioid substances known to affect the central nervous system and induce severe drowsiness, particularly when combined with other drugs.
Melvyn Stewart, Daniel’s keyworker, told the hearing how two live feeds to Daniel’s friends in America were still running when he discovered him dead in his flat.
“I turned them off so people couldn’t see what was going on,” he said.
The inquest also heard that Daniel had been resuscitated three days before his death following an opioid overdose.
Detective Constable Holmes, who led the investigation into the death, said no third party was involved in Daniel’s death. There were no suspicious circumstances either.
Andrew Cox, the senior coroner for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said Daniel had suffered from schizophrenia, anxiety and poor mental health and had fallen out with his family over his use of alcohol and drugs.
He recorded a drug related death conclusion.
