A YOUNG Drogheda man told the person he is accused of murdering that he was going to stick a knife in his face, the Central Criminal Court heard yesterday.
Keith Cunningham (19), of Halpin’s Terrace, Drogheda, Co Louth, has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty of the manslaughter of Martin Desmond Kimmins (41) – also known as Des – at Rathmullen Park, Drogheda, Co Louth on December 30th, 2007.
It is the prosecution’s case that Mr Cunningham attacked Mr Kimmins after a row outside the house of Mr Kimmins’s former partner, Anne Gildea.
The court has heard that Anne Gildea and Mr Kimmins had been separated for two years at the time of the alleged murder.
Mr Kimmins was at his brother Jim’s 40th birthday party on the same night.
Sinead Smith, niece of the deceased, told Colm O’Briain, prosecuting, that she received a phone call from her aunt Sharon Kimmins at approximately 3am on the night of the alleged murder.
Both Ms Smith and Ms Gildea lived in Rathmullen Park.
Ms Smith was asked to go to Ms Gildea’s house “to see if the children were okay”.
The court has heard that Mr Kimmins and Ms Gildea had two daughters – who were living with Ms Gildea – and that, on the night in question, Ms Gildea had made arrangements for the care of the two girls.
Ms Smith told the court that she walked to Ms Gildea’s house.
The door was open. Mr Cunningham, and his girlfriend Nicola Kavanagh were in the kitchen with a number of others.
Ms Smith said that she was told that the elder daughter was in Ms Kavanagh’s mother’s house and the younger was in Balbriggan with Ms Gildea’s mother.
Ms Smith left and, on her way home, got a phone call from her granny.
She met her granny at the entrance to Rathmullen Park.
She said that she stood outside her house with her granny for a minute and that they saw Mr Kimmins walking into the estate.
Ms Smith said that Mr Cunningham, Ms Gildea and Ms Kavanagh were standing outside Ms Gildea’s house.
They were “shouting over, calling us names”.
She said that she and her granny followed Mr Kimmins toward Ms Gildea’s house.
“Keith and Des had a row. Keith went inside and came back out with a knife and he said he was going to stick the knife in Des’s face.
“He walked towards Des and raised his hand and stabbed Des. He fell just on the grass outside the house.”
The trial continues.