Gardaí investigating the killing of a man at his home in Co Laois have completed the forensic examination of the house and are hopeful the dead man's wife will be able this morning to speak to them about her husband's death.
A postmortem has revealed that Pat Burke (55), Ballybrittas, died of injuries to the head inflicted with a blunt instrument. Gardaí believe a hammer found at the scene was the weapon used to kill him.
Mr Burke's wife was found with slash wounds to both arms at the home at the same time that her husband's body was discovered in a downstairs bedroom at 10.40pm on Sunday.
She was treated at the Midlands Hospital, Portlaoise, on Sunday evening before being transferred to St James's Hospital, Dublin, on Monday. Gardaí expected her to be discharged yesterday but she remained in the hospital's care last night.
It is expected she will be discharged today, in which case gardaí will speak to her about the events leading up to her husband's death.
As well as the hammer, a number of items were taken from the crime scene for forensic examination, including a bloodied knife and a note, which is believed to have been written by the victim's wife.
The woman, as revealed in The Irish Times yesterday, was admitted to a hospital in Portlaoise last Wednesday. She was released into the care of her family on Friday.
The exact circumstances of her release are being examined by gardaí.
The couple were found in the downstairs bedroom of their house when their teenage son, who is one of four children, returned to the property on Sunday night. He alerted the emergency services.
Gardaí have said a number of people had called to the house by the time they arrived and they were still trying to trace those people last night.
