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Man had ‘blank, vacant and detached’ look when gardaí arrived to investigate partner’s death, court told

Andrei Dobra has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murdering Ioana Mihaela Pacala (30) in November 2022

Counsel for Andrei Dobra told the jury his client would admit to strangling Ioana Mihaela Pacala to 'alleviate the burden' on the State. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins

Eoin Reynolds
Tue Jul 2 2024 - 18:14

A security guard who admits strangling his partner to death was “blank, vacant and detached” when gardaí entered his Co Meath home, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

After the prosecution opened the trial of Andrei Dobra on Tuesday, the accused man’s counsel Michael Bowman SC told the jury his client would admit to strangling his partner to “alleviate the burden” on the State.

Mr Dobra (36) has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murdering Ioana Mihaela Pacala (30) in the home they shared at Riverwalk Court, Fairyhouse Road, Ratoath on November 12th, 2022.

Roxana Devan told Carl Hanahoe BL, for the prosecution, that she knew Mr Dobra for a number of years through her ex-boyfriend. Mr Dobra worked in Cappagh Hospital and as a security guard in Temple Bar, she said.

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Ms Devan said the couple had moved into their new home three weeks before Ms Pacala’s death and that Mr Dobra was suffering from stress in the week leading up to the killing. He and Ms Pacala said they had heard strange noises in the apartment “like some entity or something like that”, the witness said.

Ms Devan brought the accused to a GP some days before the killing because he was complaining of feeling depressed and unwell. The day before the killing, Ms Devan noted that Mr Dobra was sweating heavily, “looking kind of weird, very unusual” and was not speaking.

On the day of the killing, Ms Devan received a call from Ms Pacala’s family in Romania and was told she was unconscious and they wanted to get an ambulance to the house. Ms Devan called the emergency services to direct them and then phoned Mr Dobra. She said she asked to speak to Ms Pacala but he told her: “You can’t be talking to her because I think she is dead.” He told her he had a dream that he was killing Ms Pacala and woke up next to her and saw she was dead.

Under cross-examination, Ms Devan said it seemed as though there was something wrong with Mr Dobra for about one week before the killing. She said she had never seen him act like that before. “He seemed weird and didn’t look himself.”

Garda Michael Fitzpatrick responded to Ms Devan’s emergency call and met Mr Dobra inside the entrance to his apartment. He found him “extremely calm, emotionless, just standing at the top of the stairs looking down towards us”.

Mr Dobra led gardaí into a bedroom where Ms Pacala was lying dead on the bed. The accused remained “completely compliant” with a blank, vacant and detached expression, the garda said.

“He presented as unusual to me considering what I had just found in the bedroom,” the witness said.

When asked what had happened, Mr Dobra told Garda Fitzpatrick: “She gave me tablets to drink and then I don’t remember.”

Det Sgt Shane Dervin told Sean Guerin SC, for the prosecution, that a garda at the scene also noticed what looked like red rope marks on Mr Dobra’s neck. When asked about the marks, he replied: “Making love.”

The court heard pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster examined the deceased’s body and found the cause of death was asphyxia and strangulation. Bruising to the neck was consistent with a ligature or an arm lock and possible manual strangulation. There were scratches consistent with an attempt by Ms Pacala to release the pressure during the course of strangulation.

In his opening remarks, Mr Guerin told the jury that two psychiatrists called by the defence and prosecution will give evidence that Mr Dobra was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the killing.

Mr Guerin said the accused’s plea is that he was “suffering from an irresistible compulsion or total absence of reason” that qualifies him for the special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

The trial continues before Ms Justice Melanie Greally and a jury.

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