GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING the fatal stabbing of a man on Saturday night have appealed for the public's assistance in their efforts to catch the killer.
Stephen Quigley (24), originally from Kilkerley, Dundalk, Co Louth, was found dead in a laneway off Avenue Road in Dundalk just before midnight last Saturday. He had been stabbed repeatedly in the neck and sustained a further wound to the heart which proved fatal.
The scene of the killing was close to Woodbury Gardens, off Avenue Road, where the dead man had been living. The area was sealed off immediately after the killing and members of the Garda Technical Bureau carried out an examination of the laneway on Sunday.
A purple Renault Megane has also been examined by members of the bureau. Gardaí believe the dead man had been in the vehicle just before his murder. The car was left at Greenacres Shopping Centre across the road from the murder scene.
The alarm was raised at about 11.50pm on Saturday when a member of the public rang gardaí to inform them a man had been stabbed in the laneway. Mr Quigley was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after an ambulance arrived.
The body was preserved at the scene overnight pending the arrival of the Deputy State Pathologist, Dr Michael Curtis.
He examined the remains in the laneway early on Sunday before the body was removed for a full postmortem examination. It concluded that Mr Quigley had died as a result of stab wounds. The wounds were inflicted by a weapon the same size as a standard kitchen knife.
Gardaí have appealed to members of the public to help their investigation. Detectives want to speak to anybody who was in the Woodbury Gardens or Avenue Road area between 11pm and midnight on Saturday.
Gardaí are keeping an open mind on the motive for the murder but have not ruled out the possibility it was drug-related. It is understood the victim had gone to meet somebody when he was attacked.
The dead man was known to gardaí and had a number of convictions. In October 2006 he was given a three-month suspended jail term after he was convicted of possessing cocaine.
Dundalk Circuit Court was told that cocaine with a street value of almost €4,000 was found in a jacket owned by Quigley when gardaí raided a house at Castle Park, Castletown Road, Dundalk. In the course of the search other items such as an electronic weighing scales were found.
Quigley was staying at the house with his sister following his release from prison just weeks earlier.
During his court appearance related to the cocaine find, Quigley's counsel, Donough McDonough, said that his client had fallen into bad company on his release from prison. He had left home when he was 18, developed a drug habit and became involved in the cocaine deal to feed his habit, filling the role of "gofer".
Quigley told gardaí he was holding the drugs for a member of the Travelling community and said he was not holding them to offer them for sale.
Quigley had a number of convictions for road traffic offences, and one for possession of an article with intention to cause injury, for which he received a three-month prison sentence. It was after being released from serving that sentence that he was caught with the cocaine.
Anyone with information on the fatal stabbing or anyone who was near the scene at the time of the killing is asked to contact gardaí in Dundalk on 042-9388400.