THE heartbroken daughter of innocent murder victim James ‘Jake’ Berney has invited all who were “touched by his presence” to join them in honouring his life at his funeral.
Painter and decorator Berney, 53, died after he was stabbed in the chest and back at his Foxdene home in Balgaddy, west Dublin last Wednesday night.
A GoFundMe to raise money to pay for his funeral has almost reached its target of €4,000.
Berney’s grieving daughter Lorita said “We invite all who knew and cared for my dad to join us in honouring his life.
“His funeral will be a space for everyone, friends, family, neighbours, and anyone touched by his presence.
“You are warmly welcome, no matter how you knew him.
“Please come as you are to celebrate and remember him together.”
Funeral arrangements have yet to be finalised, but his death notice said Berney was “taken too soon but forever loved by all” of his relatives and pals.
Officers believe Berney was targeted after a young man turned up on his doorstep demanding cash before he later returned armed with a knife, forcing his way into the house and killing Berney.
Gardai probing the callous murder are hunting for the chief suspect, who they identified early on in the case.
The teenager – who was known to Berney but is not related to him – remains at large and has yet to return to his home, which was raided a short time after the victim was attacked.
Gardai also conducted door-to-door enquiries on Friday, as well as plain clothes detectives conducting a wider search of the general area and the house after the technical bureau concluded their work.
Tributes continued to flow for Mr Berney on social media following his sudden death.
One said: “Jake what a lovely man, never went by without a hello. Rest easy pal.”
Another said: “Very sad, I’ve known Jake for about 15 years.
‘PEOPLE ARE DEVASTATED’
“A gentle soul and all round nice guy with a harmless nature. My condolences to his family and many friends, may he rest in eternal peace.”
While one upset woman added: “So sad, can’t get him off my mind. God help his poor da.”
Neighbours also told The Irish Sun that he was very popular in the community.
One told us: “Everyone around here would have known Jake.
“He was lovely, and very good with his hands for work like painting and he also did a bit of window cleaning.
“People are devastated. It’s just awful.”
