A man whose body was found in Co Antrim at the weekend had been assaulted a week before his death, the police have said.
However the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said rumours about the involvement of the South East Antrim UDA were "unhelpful".
Glen Quinn's body was discovered in Ashleigh Park in the Woodburn area of Carrickfergus on Saturday night.
Three people are being questioned in connection with his murder.
Detective Superintendent Jason Murphy said the 47-year-old died after sustaining blunt force trauma.
“A friend of Glen’s reported a concern for his safety on Saturday. Police officers responded and forced entry to the home where they found Glen’s body,” Det Supt Murphy said.
“Glen was well-known throughout Carrickfergus and had no known enemies and no reason that we are aware of for anyone to cause him harm.
“We know that Glen was assaulted on December 29th and while he wasn’t badly injured, he was left frightened by the incident and we are working to establish if there is any link between that assault and Glen’s subsequent murder,” he said.
Det Supt Murphy said police were “aware rumours are circulating regarding the involvement of the South East Antrim UDA in the killing.
“In this type of investigation, rumour and speculation are unhelpful. They have the possibility to raise tensions and put others at risk.
“We want to carry out a sound investigation, not confused by rumour or gossip, and I would encourage people to speak to us directly and tell us what they know so we can establish what the facts are.”
He made an appeal to anyone who had been in contact with Mr Quinn since Christmas Day, and to whom he had revealed any concerns, to come forward to police.
He also asked “anyone who might be able to shed light on the motive for Glen’s murder or those responsible for it,” as well as anyone who was in Ashleigh Park on January 3rd between midday and 10pm – especially anyone with any mobile phone or dashcam footage – and anyone who witnessed the assault on Mr Quinn on December 29th to contact police.
“In the coming days we will be working closely with local neighbourhood officers to provide reassurance to the local community and to enable those who wish to speak to police to do so,” he said.
