Raonaid Murray murder: Gardaí appeal to alibi witness after 26 years

Gardaí have renewed their appeal for a key witness to come forward in the unsolved 1999 murder of 17-year-old Raonaid Murray in Glenageary, Co Dublin.

Gardaí urge alibi witness to come forward in Raonaid Murray cold case

Gardaí have renewed their appeal for a witness who may have provided an alibi for the suspected killer of Raonaid Murray to come forward, the Irish Times reports. Murray was 17 years old when she was murdered near her home in Glenageary, Co Dublin, 26 years ago.

She was last seen alive at approximately 11.20pm on Friday, 3 September 1999, walking home from Dún Laoghaire town centre after socialising with a friend. The journey should have taken around 15 minutes. She never completed it.

Her body was discovered at Silchester Crescent, Glenageary, at 12.33am the following morning, a short distance from her front door. A postmortem examination found she had died from shock and blood loss caused by a stab wound to the left armpit. She had been stabbed four times with a sharp knife and had managed to stumble in the direction of her home before collapsing.

In the years since, gardaí have taken 4,500 witness statements. Twelve suspects were arrested and subsequently released without charge. The motive for the killing has never been established.

In their renewed appeal, the force specifically called on a witness who may have given an alibi for a suspected killer to reconsider coming forward. "You may be unknowingly shielding a killer," gardaí said in a statement.

During the original investigation, an eyewitness had reported seeing a young man appearing to pester a woman matching Murray's description at the top of Corrig Avenue. That lead did not progress.

An inquest into Murray's death was not held until 2013, delayed by the ongoing Garda investigation. A jury at Dublin Coroner's Court returned a verdict of unlawful killing.

Her family have maintained their appeal for information every year since her death. A Garda statement confirmed the investigation remains active.

The force noted that many people who were the same age as Murray in 1999 are now parents themselves. "We would ask them to reflect now with the benefit of maturity and hindsight on any information that may be of assistance to the investigation," the statement said.

"The solving of this murder is of the utmost priority for An Garda Síochána and any information received will be treated with absolute confidentiality."

Source: Irish Times