Gardaí continue questioning man held over murder of mother and daughter

Gardaí were last night continuing to question a 26-year-old man arrested early yesterday morning in connection with the murder of a mother and her eight-year-old daughter in Co Kerry earlier this month.

Detectives investigating the double murder of Jolanta Lubiene (27) and daughter Enrika arrested a Lithuanian national at a house in Killorglin shortly before 6am yesterday morning and brought him to Killarney Garda station for questioning.

The man, who was arrested at a house in an estate, was detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act which allows gardaí to detain suspects for up to 24 hours.

Gardaí believe the man was known to Ms Lubiene and had visited her two or three times at her house in Killorglin in the week before she was killed.

Rented house
The body of Ms Lubiene and her daughter were found by gardaí when they called to her rented house at Langford Downs in Killorglin at 8.30pm on June 16th and gardaí believe they were killed sometime between 2.30pm and 6pm on June 15th.

Ms Lubiene had been stabbed more than 20 times before her throat was cut and her body was found in the kitchen, while Enrika also had her throat cut and her body was found on a landing area near her upstairs bedroom in the house.

Garda sources described the killings as “a slaughter” and sources at the time expressed confidence that the frenzied nature of the attack might mean the killer may have panicked and left some DNA or fingerprint evidence which would identify him.

Garda sources were saying little about yesterday’s arrest but it is understood Garda technical experts found some forensic evidence at the scene which led them to identify the 26-year-old Lithuanian man as a suspect.

It is understood that gardaí had interviewed members of the Lithuanian community and others who had been in contact with Ms Lubiene last week and had taken DNA and fingerprint samples to match against anything they might find at the house.

Suspicions about the man came to the fore when gardaí established that a 40-year-old Lithuanian man, who knew the suspect, gave a false account of the man's movements at a time critical to the killings.

Later released
Detectives arrested the 40-year-old on Sunday for questioning about withholding information but he was later released without charge and a file is being prepared for the DPP.

Initially it is understood that gardaí were led to believe the 26-year-old suspect had left Ireland and returned to Lithuania shortly after the killings but they later established the man was still in Ireland and living between Killorglin and Tralee.

Following yesterday’s arrest, gardaí also sealed off a house in Killorglin and Garda technical experts began an examination of the property, while gardaí also seized items of clothing and footwear belonging to the suspect for further analysis.