THE CHIEF suspects in a double murder at a house in Limerick, in what gardaí believe was a drugs-related attack, were in custody last night.
Two men were among seven people, four men and three women, arrested yesterday in connection with the murders of Des Kelly (23), O’Malley Park, and Breda Waters (28), St Munchin’s Court, St Mary’s Park.
The victims, each survived by three young children, were found shot dead on Sunday morning at Mr Kelly’s home. His sister Teresa Kelly and his two-month-old baby daughter were also in the house at the time but escaped unharmed.
Gardaí confirmed last night that both victims were killed with a shotgun. Postmortem results revealed that they had both been shot once in the head.
A motive for the attack has not been confirmed but it is believed the shooting was targeted at Mr Kelly and may have been linked to a heroin debt. Gardaí believe Ms Waters may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Well known to gardaí, Mr Kelly was a heroin user and a convicted criminal who had only recently been released from jail after serving a sentence for robbery.
He was also jailed in 2003 for four years for dangerous driving causing the death of Tanya Nunan (15), who was hit by a stolen car in Southill the previous year.
The chief suspects for the double murders are originally from Weston in Limerick city. One of two men is a convicted criminal in his early 40s who is involved in the sale of heroin.
His wife was among the seven people arrested at a house in Castletroy at lunchtime.
The second main suspect is in his 20s and has been living in Moyross but is also originally from Weston. He is a heroin addict.
At a press briefing at Roxboro Garda station yesterday, Supt John Gilligan said gardaí were anxious to speak to anyone who may have seen two men on foot near the house at O’Malley Park at about 9am on Sunday.
“There may have been a car or a motorbike or some vehicle involved at some stage in terms of arriving at the scene or leaving the scene, but not directly at the scene, so people may have seen two people on foot at about 9am,” Supt Gilligan said.
He also confirmed that a woman and child were in the house at the time and that they and other family members were “traumatised” by what happened.
Supt Gilligan said the emergency services were not alerted until 11.30am and there was over a “two-hour gap” between the time of the shooting and the time gardaí were notified.
A second house in Lilac Court in Southill has been sealed off by gardaí as part of the investigation, which was upgraded to a double murder inquiry following the preliminary findings of the postmortem carried out by State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy.
Ms Waters’s body was found lying in bed in an upstairs bedroom. Mr Kelly was found lying near the back door in the kitchen downstairs.
A shotgun cartridge was found on the stairs of the house but the shotgun has not been recovered.
Detectives believe the gunmen did not know the other woman and baby were in the house.
It is believed Mr Kelly went downstairs to answer a call to the front door and was shot as he tried to make his way out the back door in the kitchen.
The gunman then went upstairs and shot Ms Waters who was asleep in bed. Her sister Tina Waters said there were five people and a baby in the house but only four of the adults were drinking.
She left the house at 2am and she last heard from her sister at 5.30am on Sunday.