An autopsy report has revealed that Brian Egg, the 65-year-old man whose headless, decomposed body was found floating in a fish tank in his home last August, was murdered, The San Francisco Chronicle reports. The finding is an important legal milestone in the case, as if the culprit had just submerged Egg’s body but not killed him, the charges would have been far more lenient. What’s more, it would have been difficult for prosecutors to bring charges if they hadn’t yet ruled out other causes of death. “The last thing you would want to do is charge the case and have it be a drug overdose,” a criminal defense attorney told the Chronicle. “The defendants could have requested a preliminary hearing within 10 days and without that evidence, prosecutors could have got caught flat-footed.” Two men were previously arrested in connection with Egg’s death, but no charges were filed and they were later released. Conducting the autopsy wasn’t easy, authorities said, given the amount of time Egg’s body was submerged in the chemicals—his bones were “furry” and worn-down, and tissue reportedly dislodged as officers pulled him out of the tank.