Seven years after the Adams County coroner suggested “excited delirium” led to the death of a man who died under a pile of arresting officers in Thornton, an outside review of the case concluded the man likely died as a result of the officer’s actions. The review, done at the request of 9NEWS Investigates and the man’s family, concluded that Alejandro “Alex” Gutierrez died not from the dubious medical condition but from homicide. The revelation raises serious concerns for the man’s family who never believed the original attempt to explain the death. “There’s more to what happened,” said Gutierrez’s daughter, Avina De Luna. “When I saw my father’s body, I knew there was more.” The development isn’t likely to lead to criminal charges, and the family will continue to face major legal hurdles trying to bring forth a civil lawsuit due to the passage of time, but it leads to more questions for a coroner’s office that has fiercely defended its use of the now-controversial term “excited delirium.” “But for the restraint component, Mr. Gutierrez would not have died,” said Dr. Jan Gorniak, who has led thousands of autopsies all over the country in cities like Atlanta, Washington D.C., Las Vegas and Columbus, Ohio. “I have no doubt this case is a homicide,” she said. “None.”