The main suspect in the case of two murdered youths whose bodies were found in the Grand Canal is in hiding from both the Gardai and from fear of retaliation by associates of his victims, according to gardai.
The man, in his mid-20s, failed to appear before a district court on charges last week and has not been seen near his home. It is suspected he is still in the country, probably in Dublin.
One of the victims, Patrick Murray (19), was awaiting trial after he was arrested at Dublin Airport on December 3rd last with half a kilo of heroin. It is believed he was smuggling the heroin for the man who killed him.
According to sources close to the investigation, it appears the man had initially intended only to scare or injure Mr Murray, whose naked body was found in the Grand Canal last Sunday week.
It is believed a shotgun he was brandishing went off, hitting Mr Murray in the head.
Gardai believe the gunman had been working with Darren Carey (20) up to the time Mr Murray was shot dead. It is believed that after killing Mr Murray, he decided to kill Mr Carey as well. Mr Carey was shot in the upper body and head and was also dumped into the canal at Kearneystown, Co Dublin. His body was recovered a day after Mr Murray's while Garda divers were searching for evidence. He was still wearing his clothes when he was shot.
A black Nissan Micra car which Mr Carey was last seen driving on the night of December 28th was found burnt out on waste ground by gardai in Ronanstown, west Dublin, last week. It is believed the gunman who killed both men may have used the car to drive to and from the scene where the bodies were recovered over the New Year. Gardai have appealed for information from anyone in the area who noticed the car to contact them,
The investigation into the murders is being conducted from an incident room at Naas Garda Station. Members of the National Bureau of Crime Investigation (NBCI) are assisting local detectives to investigate the case.