Horrific news out of Belfast, Ireland, where a man was apparently beaten to death at his home with his own electric guitar. Four people have been arrested in relation to the incident.

Matthew Goddard, 41, was found dead on Christmas Eve by one of his friends after last being seen the day before.

A senior investigating police officer said in a statement, "Mr. Goddard suffered a brutal and violent attack in the living room of his home -- a place where he should have felt safe ... One of Mr. Goddard’s hobbies was playing guitar and we believe his electric guitar was used at some stage during the attack however we are not prepared to disclose the exact cause of death at this stage. We are appealing for people to come forward with information to help bring those responsible for this ruthless murder before the courts.”

According to BBC News, four people have been arrested including three male suspects aged 21, 17 and 12, as well as a female suspect aged 24. Police believe drugs may have been involved in the slaying, but are not certain of the reason for the attack at this time.

Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of victim Matthew Goddard during this difficult time. A television news report from UTV on the incident can be seen here.

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