Andrew Carey
KNIVES together with a number of items have been seized from an apartment by Gardai in connection with a murder investigation ongoing in Limerick City after a 65-year-old man was found unconscious at an apartment in Mount Kennett in the early hours of last Sunday morning.
The murder investigation was launched 18 hours after Patrick Redmond was found with a single stab wound to the back in a first floor apartment. He died a few hours later from the stab wound received to his back.
Mr Redmond, a separated father of three grown up daughters, is originally from Dublin but had been living in Limerick for some time. He moved here over ten years ago.
After Gardai received a call to the Mount Kennett block, Mr Redmond was found in an unconscious state at 2am in a neighbours first floor apartment and was rushed to the University Limerick hospital but died shortly after 8am.
It is understood that the murder victim did not have any criminal record and had been recently discharged from hospital after a period of ill health.
Described as a frail man, Mr Redmond was the victim of a burglary at his city centre apartment some weeks ago and had suffered minor injuries but Gardai do not believe this to be connected to his death
A recovering alcoholic, Mr Redmond had spent some time in sheltered and supported accommodation before moving to his Mount Kennett address.
The Simon community had been providing a daily ‘meals on wheels’ service to Mr Redmond in recent weeks.
Following a period of detention to conduct technical and forensic examinations, two apartments in the apartment block on the first floor were released from Garda cordon.
A number of items were seized by detectives investigating the incident and one of those is thought to be the murder weapon.
A woman, described by Gardai as a “person of interest” presented to the Henry Street Station on Monday and was assisting detectives with their enquiries and the investigation.
No arrests have been made as of yet but Gardai are pursuing a number of lines of inquiry Including one that is linking the murder to a possible domestic issue.
The death of Mr Redmond comes as a shock to the community as a 22-month period had passed without a murder in Limerick city.
The victim’s daughters and estranged wife are said to be devastated and traveled to Limerick in the wake of his death.
The investigation is ongoing and intensifying according to senior detectives who are trying to eliminate all suspects to get the perpetrator of the violent crime.
