Police want to speak to anyone who was in contact with the 47-year-old Carrickfergus murder victim Glen Quinn since Christmas Day and to whom he had revealed any concerns.
Police have this morning named the man and said he was previously assaulted days before his death.
Detective Superintendent Jason Murphy said a friend of Glen’s reported a concern for his safety on Saturday.
He said police officers responded and forced entry to the home where they found Glen’s body.
“We now know he was the victim of an attack, sustaining blunt force trauma that I believe resulted in his death.
“Glen was well-known throughout Carrickfergus and had no known enemies and no reason that we are aware of for anyone to cause him harm.
“We know that Glen was assaulted on 29 December and while he wasn’t badly injured, he was left frightened by the incident and we are working to establish if there is any link between that assault and Glen’s subsequent murder,” he explained.
Detective Superintendent Jason Murphy said police are aware that rumours are circulating regarding the involvement of the South East Antrim UDA in the killing.
“In this type of investigation, rumour and speculation are unhelpful. They have the possibility to raise tensions and put others at risk. We want to carry out a sound investigation, not confused by rumour or gossip, and I would encourage people to speak to us directly and tell us what they know so we can establish what the facts are,” he said.
And he said he is keen to speak to anyone who was in contact with Glen since Christmas Day and to whom he had revealed any concerns, as well as those who might be able to shed light on the motive for the murder or those responsible.
“Anyone who was in Ashleigh Park on Friday 3 January, from midday until 10pm. I am particularly keen to establish whether witnesses saw anything or captured any footage on dash cam or mobile phone,” he added.
Detective Superintendent Jason Murphy said police also want to speak to anyone who witnessed the assault on Glen on 29 December.
“In the coming days we will be working closely with local neighbourhood officers to provide reassurance to the local community and to enable those who wish to speak to police to do so,” he added.