Son seeks justice for slain father 15 years on
Billy Fitzmaurice broke down and called his father Eddie “one of the good guys” as he made an emotional appeal on RTÉ’s Cracking Crime tonight for information on the killer of his 83-year-old father.
In the wake of the murder of the Blaine brothers last week in Castlebar, the episode tonight highlights one of the country’s most horrific murders of a pensioner in the neighbouring town of Charlestown, Co Mayo, in 1998.
His son said the gang, who left him to die of hypothermia after fighting to raise the alarm for days after the attack, should be brought to justice.
“He was one of the good guys.
“He was a man who looked after his family, who lived life to the full, he was generous, he was honest and was co-operative to everybody he knew.
“He always helped as best he could. He never had, as far as I understand in his life, any enemies. He was one of the good guys.
“As human beings and as reasonable people, they should come forward and tell the truth to the police or tell anybody about what happened so that this crime can be solved.
“Let the people who committed it be brought to justice.”
Mr Fitzmaurice said his father had always felt safe in Charlestown, where he had spent his life rearing his family and running the Fitzmaurice drapery shop for over 40 years.
“All the times I visited him, he never gave me any indication that he felt insecure of felt any fear that there was anybody going to infiltrate his privacy. He loved his shop and he seemed to be coping well with his widowed life.”
The documentary highlights his slow death in the days after a burglary gang broke into his drapery shop on the night of Friday, May 1, 1998.
Even though his shop was uncharacteristically closed, it was another five days before a concerned neighbour broke into the house and found the horrific sight of Mr Fitzmaurice’s bound and gagged body lying prone by the front bedroom window.
Supt Colm Fox, from Swinford Garda Station, who carried out the original investigation, said the murder has had a devastating effect on the Mayo community.
“The way he had been left to die, tied-up, gagged, frozen had a huge impact on the community.
“Throughout the investigation, 950 lines of enquiry has been opened, over 800 statements have been taken and a large number of exhibits have been gathered.
“I have no doubt that there are people out there who for one reason or another have been afraid to contact us.
“I believe they have vital information that could lead to the identification of the person responsible for the murder of Eddie Fitzmaurice, I would ask them to contact us immediately and we will do anything we can to alleviate any fears they have in contacting us.”
Det Supt Christy Mangan from the Garda Serious Crime Squad, who re-opened the case in 2008, said Eddie Fitzmaurice suffered a slow, horrific death from hypothermia.
“Think about what happened to Eddie that night, think about that he could not protect himself.
“These people break in and leave him in an utterly vulnerable position in that he eventually succumbed to the elements.
“Look into yourself and in your own heart and minds. Are you satisfied to continue to possess the information you have?”
* If you have any information call the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 and Crimestoppers on 1800 250025
The new series of Cracking Crime — Cold Cases will be shown on RTÉ One tonight at 9.35pm.
