Widow issues murder inquiry appeal

Sep 10 2012

The widow of a man found dying in a city street nearly a month ago has appealed for anyone with information to "do the decent thing" and help police catch her husband's killer.

Donna McMurchie, 39, said the cruel way in which her partner John was taken made it all the more difficult for the family to come to terms with his untimely death.

She said someone knows what happened to him and urged members of the community to "look to their conscience" and ensure justice can be done.

Mr McMurchie, 50, from Errol, Perthshire, was discovered with serious injuries in Dundee's Fintry Terrace in the early hours of Sunday August 12.

The father-of-five, who also had two grandchildren, later died in hospital. Police believe he was murdered but have yet to make an arrest. A £5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for the death.

Mrs McMurchie attended a press conference in Dundee, where a statement was read out on her behalf.

She said: "John's killer is still out there and, like the police have done, I appeal to people out there to help detectives with their enquiries. Someone out there, in the community, knows what happened to John. I would ask them to do the decent thing, ease my family's suffering and tell the police what they know."

The detective leading the murder hunt, Detective Inspector Bobby Dow, said: "My message is quite clear, as it has been from the outset. If you were in the area of Fintry Terrace and Whitfield Drive between the hours of 3am and 4.30am, please come forward and speak to Tayside Police.

"I would appeal specifically to those who are aware of previous appeals but have not yet come forward, perhaps because they feel they have nothing of note to say. Please, come forward as soon as possible. Let us decide how important the information you have is."

Tayside Police can be contacted on 0300 111 2222. The inquiry team can also be reached on 01382 591 940.