The murder of Eamonn Ferguson was a shockingly brutal crime and the fact that his killer has been brought before the courts, convicted and is now serving a life sentence is the right outcome.
However, while this case has reached a successful conclusion from the perspective of the prosecution, the investigation into this murder has raised serious issues for the PSNI.
Louis Maguire (28) was sentenced to a minimum 17-year jail term for the horrific killing of 35-year-old Mr Ferguson.
Maguire bludgeoned him to death with a claw hammer in the living room of his Ardoyne Place home in north Belfast in March 2014.
The victim, who was hit up to 20 times with the hammer, was attacked as he lay on Maguire's sofa following a lengthy drinking session.
Co-accused Christopher Power was acquitted of murder but convicted of assisting an offender.
It has emerged that in the initial stages of the investigation, Power and Maguire were not arrested immediately and were allowed to leave the murder scene.
This decision, which has been strongly criticised by the mother of Eamonn Ferguson, is difficult to comprehend, especially given Maguire's lengthy criminal record.
Before this murder he had more than 60 convictions so was clearly someone well known to police. Indeed, his father, also Louis Maguire, is serving a life sentence for the murder of David Barnes in north Belfast in 2003.
Leaving the scene could have led to the loss of forensic evidence and was a serious failing on the part of the police.
The Police Ombudsman upheld a complaint from the family and recommended a `disciplinary sanction' against the officer concerned which the PSNI decided should be at a lower level.
The family's anger at the way this matter has been handled is completely understandable.
It is absolutely essential that victims, relatives and the wider public have confidence in any investigation carried out by the police, particularly in the case of violent crime.
