A second man has been arrested in connection with the murder of Ashling Murphy.RollingNews
A second male has been arrested in connection with the murder of Ashling Murphy that occurred in Tullamore, County Offaly.
Updated Wed, Jan 19, 11:45 am IST: An Garda Síochána (Irish police) have arrested a second male (30s) in connection with the investigation into the fatal assault on Ashling Murphy.
In a statement, Gardaí said the male is detained at a Garda Station in the Eastern Region and is being questioned in relation to potential withholding of information.
Gardaí investigating the murder of Ashling Murphy that occurred on January 12, 2022, in Tullamore, County Offaly, continue to question a male in his 30s who was arrested yesterday, Tuesday.
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Published Wed, Jan 19, 10:15 am IST: A male has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is in custody in Tullamore, Gardaí (Irish police) confirmed on Tuesday.
Ashling Murphy, a primary school teacher, was fatally assaulted when she was out for a jog on Wednesday, January 12 along the canal in Tullamore, County Offaly. Her shocking death is being mourned by the Irish community the world over.
Gardai said in a statement on Tuesday: "Gardaí investigating the fatal assault on Ashling Murphy that occurred at approximately 4pm on Wednesday, 12th January 2022, along the canal bank at Cappincur, Tullamore, County Offaly have arrested a male in his 30s on suspicion of murder.
"The male is now detained in Tullamore Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.
"An Garda Síochána has no further comment at this time."
On Wednesday morning the Irish Examiner reported that the suspect is a father and partner aged 31. He can be held for up to 24 hours, excluding sleep breaks.
They also report that police have a wide range of evidence collected including "DNA, fingerprint, CCTV, and witness evidence to put to him.
"Sources said that while gardaí would have preferred not to have made the arrest on the day of Ms. Murphy’s funeral, they felt they had to for risk of losing track of the suspect, after he was released from hospital."
The man's arrest came just hours after the funeral for Ashling Murphy was held in her native County Offaly. Crowds lined the streets to pay homage to the 23-year-old who was murdered on January 12, with both Taoiseach Micheál Martin and President Michael D. Higgins in attendance in the church.
Tuesday's arrest also came less than a day after Gardaí issued a renewed appeal for any information regarding the murder of Ashling Murphy. In particular, gardai were seeking information about "a man dressed in black tracksuit top (no hood), black tracksuit bottoms with a large white stripe or white writing on the side and black runners."
An Garda Síochána also said on Monday, the day before the first arrest, that they were aware of people sharing information on social media and private messaging apps, and appealed to everyone "to stop sharing these messages" as they are "misinformed, inaccurate, and dangerous" as well as "unhelpful to the criminal investigation."