Musician Thomas Kennedy Found Dead After Being Attacked and Thrown Into River

Irish musician Thomas Kennedy was found dead in Georgia, the nation he was vacationing in last month. Five men were arrested, accused of robbery and murder in his death. The men admitted to robbing the 28-year-old but denied killing him. During his funeral in Lahardane, Ireland, Kennedy was remembered as a musician who “brought brightness with him wherever he went.”

Kennedy was murdered on Oct. 7, and his body was found the next day, after it washed up in the Mtkvari River, near the city of Gori. Five men were arrested in connection to his death, reports the Mayo Advertiser. They all denied killing him, but four of them admitted to robbery. Kennedy met the men when he was invited to have a drink with them. In court, prosecutors said Kennedy’s phone was found in a pawn shop, which led to the police investigation.

During the investigation, police also learned Kennedy was alive but unconscious when he was thrown into the river. Prosecutors believe the men panicked after robbing the musician, and believed they killed him. The layers for the defendants -Giorgi Balashvili, 28; Zura Palavandishvili, 19; Giorgi Okhanashvili, 17; and Giorgi Kareli, 20 – claimed Kennedy was running away from them after a fight and fell into the river. The defendants will be detained for two months and could be sentenced to 13 to 17 years in prison if convicted.

After Kennedy’s death, his family launched a GoFundMe page to raise funds to bring his body home for the funeral. The fund raised €62,166 before the funeral at St. Patrick’s Church in Lahardane on Oct. 27. Before the mass, Kennedy’s family remembered him as a “joyful and vibrant young man” who “brought brightness with him wherever he went and to whoever he met on his life’s journey,” reports the Sunday World.

“He was such a polite, well-mannered lad, always mindful to never cause upset to anyone. He was kind, funny and extremely generous in every way,” his family said. “We’re the luckiest family as we had 28 years with Tom’s unique, quirky, eccentric beautiful soul. Today we’ll share with you just how much he meant to his family and ask all of you to pray for us as we learn what it means to move forward without Tom in our lives.”

Kennedy was born in Manchester, England to Irish parents. His family moved to Mayo, Ireland when he was two years old. He is survived by his parents and six brothers, reports Irish Central. During the funeral mas, his guitar was displayed at the altar, and an Irish flag was draped over his coffin.

“He was good at football, he was fearless on motorbikes, he was a genius with music, and he was also a great welder,” his family told the congregation during the funeral. “But the real passion of the was undoubtedly the music. Tom found the love of his life; he took to the guitar like a duck to water. He had one lesson at school. He came home, went on YouTube, taught himself and the rest is history as they say.”