| Michael Meenaghan | |
| Alias: | "Spike" |
| Birth Place: | Stirling, Scotland |
| Death Date: | 10 December 1994 |
| Death Place: | Oxford, England |
| Death Cause: | Ballistic trauma |
| Occupation: | Forensic scientist |
| Known For: | Victim of unsolved murder |
Dr. Michael "Spike" Meenaghan was a forensic scientist at Oxford University who was shot dead through his kitchen window on 10 December 1994.[1] [2] [3] He was a lecturer at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology.[1] [2]
He was originally from Stirling and lived in Monks Close, on the Blackbird Leys estate in Oxford.[1] He had spent the previous four years researching molecular biology of proteins involved in cell adhesion.[1] [2]
He was married but had separated from his wife.[1]
Neighbours said that he had increased security at his house, drawing curtains all day and keeping his doors locked.[1] He had also made his phone number ex-directory in the twelve months before his death.[1] [2]
On 10 December 1994 around 4:30pm a 999 phone call was received.[1] [2] The caller didn't speak but could be heard struggling to breath.[1] [2] When police arrived at the house it looked secure, but they could see a man's body in the kitchen.[1] [2] They broke in and found the body of Dr. Meenaghan on the floor with the phone off the hook.[1] [2] His then-girlfriend arrived shortly afterwards, shocked to find the police there.[2]
Police followed several leads, including the possibilities of a hired hitman, or of mistaken identity, but no leads were found.[1] [2] His work was uncontroversial and despite speculation the work had nothing to do with DNA fingerprinting.[1] [2]
On the twentieth anniversary of his murder a reward of £20,000 was offered jointly by Crime Stoppers and Thames Valley Police, which was valid for three months.[3] His mother Pat said, "His death is always with me and there is not a day goes by when I don't miss him. We still don't know why someone would be so callous as to take his life and rob the world of a lovely man and a gifted scientist."[3] Police said there was no clear motive for the shooting.[3]