Husband arrested in Joanne murder probe
A MAN believed to be the estranged husband of Joanne Lee was questioned by gardai about her murder yesterday.
Keith Lee was arrested four weeks after gardai found his former wife’s body in the wardrobe of the flat he used in Ranelagh. Mr Lee, who was present when gardai arrived, had jumped from a third-floor window of the flat and was taken to hospital.
Gardai were unable to speak to him until he was discharged last Friday.
Mr Lee was being detained at Irishtown Garda Station under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.
Detectives have spent the past month retracing the movements of Ms Lee, who was also known as Joanne Ball, in the days before she was murdered. Gardai believe that she drove to the Ranelagh flat, and that she was murdered there.
She was dead for at least 48 hours when her body was discovered. A post-mortem found that she had been strangled. Her body had been wrapped in a sleeping bag and concealed in a wardrobe.
Joanne (38) was reported missing by Keith Lee on February 13, at Store Street in Dublin. Her body was discovered two days later when gardai following up the missing person’s report noticed the car she used outside a building in Ranelagh.
Keith Lee was treated at St James’s Hospital for injuries that include leg fractures and blood loss.
Detectives spoke to several witnesses who saw her in the days before she was killed. Mobile phone analysis and CCTV footage taken from key areas of the city also helped detectives to retrace her final journey.