A postmortem has revealed that the Laois man (55) found dead at his house on Sunday died from head injuries caused by a blunt instrument.
The body of Pat Burke of Ballybrittas, Co Laois, was found at his home at about 10.40pm on Sunday.
Gardaí said he had sustained a number of wounds to the head, and they believe a hammer found at the scene was the murder weapon.
The dead man's wife was found collapsed next to her husband. She had suffered knife wounds to both arms and was taken to the Midlands Hospital, Portlaoise, before being transferred to St James's Hospital, Dublin, yesterday afternoon.
Detectives are hoping she will be well enough today to speak to them about her husband's death.
Gardaí believe Mr Burke may have been killed some time late on Saturday night or early on Sunday morning but that both he and his injured wife lay undiscovered until late on Sunday.
Gardaí were alerted when one of the couple's four children came home on Sunday evening and found his father dead in a downstairs bedroom and his mother close by.