A suspected cannibal murdered a journalist before eating part his victim following a late night game of chess, Irish police have confirmed.
The victim, Tom O’Gorman of Beech Park Avenue, Castleknock, Dublin was playing chess with the alleged killer on Saturday night before the attack.
Detectives investigating the case, which is the seventh murder in Ireland so far in 2014, believe that O’Gorman was renting a room to the 34-year-old suspect who is from Palermo, Sicily.
Gardai arrested the man at the scene and took him to Blanchardstown Garda Station where he made a series of admissions.
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He told gardai that he ate the victim’s heart, however a post-mortem later confirmed the heart was still in place.
He is expected to appear at Blanchardstown District Court later this morning where he will be charged in connection with the killing.
The Irish Independent reports that the alleged killer rang the emergency services at 12.50am yesterday where he said he had just killed a man.
O’Gorman had worked with The Voice Today newspaper in Dublin before moving to work as a researcher with the Iona Institute think-tank.
Irish State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy attended the scene of the killing on Dublin’s northside yesterday afternoon.
Detectives investigating the case believe that O’Gorman was initially stabbed with a kitchen knife and fought desperately for his life. He was then bludgeoned with a heavy implement believed to be a dumbbell.
A source close to the investigation told the Irish Independent: “The victim’s heart was intact but the PM confirms that the lung was removed from the body and has not been located.
“This is a horrific incident and one of the most grotesque murders experienced by gardai for quite some time. The investigation is following a definite line of inquiry.”
It is with profound sadness that we learnt of the death of our great friend and contributor Tom O'Gorman. pic.twitter.com/56r19cUwjA
— The Irish Catholic (@IrishCathNews) January 12, 2014
O’Gorman was also a contributor to the Irish Catholic newspaper.
Editor Michael Kelly said: “Tom was an absolute gentleman. He was one of those guys who was absolutely inoffensive. The idea that anybody could have a bad word to say about him is incredible.
“He was a man of deep faith. He was very involved in all kinds of faith causes. He was also passionate about Leinster and Irish rugby.”
O’Gorman lived at home with his mother Ann until she died of cancer in October 2012. His father Thomas died several years earlier.
He is survived by his younger siblings Catherine and Paul.
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