‘BLAYNEY COMMUNITY SHOCKED BY MURDER AND FATAL ACCIDENT INCIDENTS

The town and rural surrounds of Castleblayney were described as being in a state of deep shock this week following the murder of a man on the outskirts of the town on Thursday morning December 1 last and the subsequent death in a road traffic accident of another male, incidents which the Gardaí believe are related. The body of Christopher Mooney (60), from Knockreagh Lower, Broomfield was found in his home at around 6.30 am on Friday by a family member who observed another man leaving the scene.

Around 7 am, 37-year-old Kieran Hamill, a father of two from Concession Road, Crossmaglen, died after he was struck by a car on the N53 at Ballynacarry Bridge near the Border village of Cullaville in Co Armagh, around three kilometres from the earlier incident. The locations and timings of both deaths have led the Gardaí to believe they are connected. A post mortem examination on the body of Mr Mooney was carried out at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda on Friday by Dr Linda Mulligan from the Office of the State Pathologist.

The Gardaí said the results of the post mortem were not being released for operational reasons. The Gardaí confirmed that Mr Mooney had died violently and that a murder investigation had been put in place, with a forensic examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau being carried out at the deceased’s home. They did not comment on speculation that the murdered man had been either stabbed or bludgeoned to death. They said…