A man in his thirties has been arrested in connection with the Garda investigation into the stabbing and killing of father-of-six Willie Moorehouse (36) in Bray, Co Wicklow last Sunday.
The man, who was arrested on Wednesday, has been detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda station in the Wexford-Wicklow division.
The investigation into Mr Moorehouse’s murder intensified earlier this week when seven properties, at a halting site, were searched under warrant. Four arrests were made during that operation on Tuesday. Wednesday’s arrest brings to seven the total number of men detained as part of the murder inquiry to date.
Gardaí also seized a number of knives in the area close to the murder scene. They are hopeful forensic testing will link the weapons to some of the suspects in the case.
Two of the men arrested on Tuesday – one in his 20s and the other a minor – have been released without charge.
The dead man lived on the Half Moon Halting Site at Windgates, about 5km south of Bray. It is understood his partner is pregnant.
Detectives believe Mr Moorehouse had gone to the Ballywaltrim area of Bray on Sunday evening for a pre-organised fight when he was set upon by men with weapons and stabbed to death.
Gardaí now suspect that pre-arranged fight, behind a community centre in the area, was organised in a bid to settle a drug-related dispute. Instead of fighting one opponent, however, Mr Moorehouse was chased by a group of men armed with knives and fatally stabbed.
Gardaí believe a number of other people were in the area of the playground when the fatal altercation arose and are hopeful they may be able to aid the investigation. Detectives were trying to piece together the dead man’s last movements in a bid to build a picture of how the fatal attack occurred.
As well as investigating the murder, gardaí are also investigating Sunday night’s incident as a big public order disturbance while charges related to possession of offensive weapons were also expected to be pursued.
The murder inquiry is being carried out by gardaí in Bray with the aid of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the force’s serious crimes squad.
