Cops: Revenge motive behind murder of IT manager from Singapore-based firm in Penang
GEORGE TOWN: Police said revenge was the motive behind the killing of an information technology manager from Ireland.
He was found in his condominium unit at Bangunan MBF along Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah on Monday .
Mr Brian Patrick O'Reilly, 50, had been stationed in Penang for work by his Singapore-based company First Lookout Marketing, said Assistant Commissioner Che Zaimani Che Awang.
Police said they concluded the motive was revenge based on a handwritten note they found near the victim, reported The Star.
The note read: "I respected the police & still do but justice sometimes has to be gained. I hate you mafia kiling scamers (sic), I love my girl."
AC Che Zaimani said Mr O'Reilly's body were discovered by a property agent, who was employed by the company to provide accommodation for its employees, after he failed to contact the deceased.
The property agent had contacted Mr O'Reilly on Saturday to get keys from him but to no avail, the New Straits Times reported.
"When he failed to reach the deceased, the property agent, along with a representative from the condominium management, went to the unit.
"As soon as they knocked on the door, a fair-skinned man walked out, informing them the deceased was unwell and all appointments had to be cancelled," he said.
On Monday, the property agent tried again and when he failed to reach Mr O'Reilly, he called his company in Singapore.
The company here apparently told him to get a locksmith to open the door, New Straits Times reported.
"As soon as he walked into the unit, he found the deceased's body sprawled in the master bedroom, soaked in blood.
"He immediately lodged a police report," AC Che Zaimani said, adding that the deceased had just moved into the unit about a month ago.
Footage from closed-circuit television cameras in the condo lobby showed four men, including Mr O'Reilly, entering a lift to his unit on level 12 on Friday evening, AC Che Zaimani said.
Several minutes later, all four left the building.
"Early on Saturday, a man registered himself to go up to the deceased's unit.
"And around noon, on the same day, a man, carrying a suitcase and believed to be the suspect, left the building in an Audi.
"The deceased is believed to have been dead for less than 24 hours before he was found," he said.
Checks also showed that Mr O'Reilly's hands were bound with a shoestring and his legs with a piece of cloth.
He is believed to have been hit with a pot and frying pan, stabbed in his stomach and slashed on his neck.
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