A man in his late 20s is expected to be charged with murder in Cork in the coming days after he was deported from the United States following his arrest there for breaches of immigration law.
The man from Gurranebraher, Cork city, was one of two suspects who fled Ireland shortly after they were arrested and questioned about the murder of 20-year-old father of one, John Butler, in October 2002.
Mr Butler, from Knocknaheeny Avenue, Cork, was shot dead as he walked home with his girlfriend, Rachel Thornhill, along Gurranebraher Road towards Cathedral Road in Cork city in the early hours of October 7th, 2002.
Mr Butler, who had a three-year-old little boy, Jamie, with Ms Thornhill, suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was taken to Cork University Hospital but died shortly after admission.
Gardaí believe the killing, which happened at 1.05am, was linked to a row between Mr Butler and three men in a chip shop in nearby Blarney Street earlier that night.
They subsequently arrested seven people for questioning about the killing.
All were released without charge but two of the main suspects left Ireland shortly afterwards for the US.
They were arrested at an apartment in the suburb of Brighton in Boston by immigration authorities on February 1st last for breach of US immigration laws.
One of the men is still in custody in the US but the other man was deported to Ireland, arriving early on St Patrick's Day at Shannon airport.
He was arrested by detectives on foot of a number of bench warrants issued for him on unrelated matters.
The man has since been held at Cork Prison. It is expected that he will be brought before Cork District Court later this week when he will be charged with the murder of Mr Butler.
Since the two main suspects fled to America, gardaí have successfully prosecuted one man involved in the incident. A conviction was secured in May 2004 against Thomas Morey who pleaded guilty to conspiring to assault Mr Butler.
Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard that the State accepted that Morey conspired to assault Mr Butler but that he knew nothing about one of his accomplices carrying a gun until it was produced and used to shoot Mr Butler.
Gardaí said they accepted that Morey (23), from Gerald Griffin Street, Cork, had believed one of his accomplices was carrying a stick or pickaxe handle under his coat when they drove to Boyce's Street near Gurranebraher Road.
Judge Patrick Moran accepted the State's evidence that Morey wasn't aware one of his accomplices was carrying a gun and he sentenced Morey to nine months in jail for conspiring with others to assault Mr Butler.
