A man was still being questioned by gardaí on Friday night on suspicion he murdered a woman known to him at her home in north Dublin.
The victim, a 32-year-old Brazilian woman, had been living and working in Ireland for at least five years. She was found dead in her apartment at the Charlestown residential complex in Finglas on Thursday morning.
Gardaí believe she was killed in a very violent knife attack, suffering extensive injuries to her neck. The suspect raised the alarm and when gardaí responding to his call arrived at the apartment at about 6.15am they discovered the murder scene.
The suspect was immediately arrested and taken to Finglas Garda station where he was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. That only allowed for him to be questioned for up to 24 hours with charge.
However, he has had breaks for medical treatment and to sleep, meaning his detention had not expired late on Friday. However, he must be charged with an offence or released without charge early on Saturday.
The suspect, who is in his early 30s and is also from Brazil, was arrested earlier in the week over concerns about his mental state. He was wandering the streets in central Dublin partially clothed, raising concerns about his stability.
After his arrest he was taken to a Garda station for medical examination by a doctor. His condition was not deemed severe enough to warrant being sectioned and so he was released and referred for further treatment.
He was released from custody on Tuesday and next came to the attention of gardaí on Thursday morning when he raised the alarm about the murder in Finglas he is now suspected of.
Garda sources said there was no history of domestic abuse call-outs to the woman’s apartment in Charlestown. They added the first time the suspect had come to the attention of gardaí was when he was detained on mental health grounds midweek.
The nature of his contact with the Garda earlier in the week and his mental condition at the time of the murder are all being examined by gardaí investigating the killing.
