Irish police investigating the fatal assault on Ashling Murphy that occurred last Wednesday along the canal bank at Cappincur, Tullamore, have arrested a male in his 30s on suspicion of murder.
Murphy, a 23-year-old primary school teacher, was strangled to death while out jogging last Wednesday afternoon.
A brief statement from policeconfirmed detectives investigating Ms. Murphy’s killing had arrested a man “on suspicion of murder” but had “no further comment at this time”.
The suspect, who is in his 30s, was arrested and taken by Gardaí to Tullamore Garda Station on Tuesday, after being treated for injuries in a Dublin hospital. He was judged to have sufficiently recovered to face questions from detectives.
The man had previously arrived at a Dublin hospital late last Thursday with a mix of wounds, some of which were believed to be self-inflicted and others which were unexplained.
The hospital’s medical staff were concerned about how the injuries were sustained and called Gardaí.
Hundreds of people gathered for the young teacher’s funeral on Tuesday morning, which was attended by Irish President Michael Higgins and Prime Minister Michael Martin at St Brigid’s Church, in Mountbolus.
On Twitter, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney described a “great sadness across the country today as people spare a thought and support Ashling’s family and friends in this nightmare.”
