Mikhail Lesin, the co-founder of the state-funded television network RT and ex-Vladimir Putin confidant who was discovered dead in Washington D.C. last November, was killed by blunt force trauma to his head and torso, a medical examiner announced today.

The prominent Russian media mogul who co-founded the news channel RT, Mikhail Lesin, has reportedly been found dead in a hotel room in Washington, D.C. ABC News reports that both Russian and U.S. officials confirmed Lesin’s death on Friday night.