Ana Kriegel trial: Locals say it was ‘too close to home’ for people to talk about

Throughout its seven week duration, many of those in the community where Ana Kriégel grew up said on Tuesday evening that people did not really talk about the murder trial.

Not far from the teenager’s school there were mixed emotions - relief the trial had concluded, satisfaction with the outcome and pity for all the families involved.

Her murder and its horrendous circumstances were still being processed. “It’s kind of just shocking that someone that age ... would commit a crime like that,” one man said.

Outside a shop a woman said the proceedings had been “too close to home” to feature prominently in local conversation. She was happy about the verdict but considered “one thing that I think is terrible is that everyone knows what happened to her; everyone knows her name and her family name but no one knows who they are” in reference to Boy A and Boy B who cannot be identified.

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Referring to the murdered teenager, another woman said: “My heart breaks for her. She didn’t have an easy life, she seemed like an innocent, naive girl and it seems like her parents did really try to protect her,” she said. “I don’t think anyone will ever get their heads around it”.

A middle aged woman, meanwhile, said she did not follow the trial - it was too painful to watch. “I just feel sorry for the families, all the families,” she said.

Two 14-year-old boys were on Tuesday found guilty of the murder of Ana Kriégel last year, becoming the youngest people in the history of the State to be convicted of murder.

The jury returned guilty verdicts on Tuesday afternoon following 14½ hours of deliberation against both accused, who were known throughout the trial as Boy A and Boy B due to their age.

Boy A was convicted of the murder and violent sexual assault of the 14-year-old girl. Boy B was convicted of murder.

Both accused were remanded in custody in Oberstown children’s detention centre until July 15th – the date of the sentencing hearing – while probation reports are prepared, as required under the Children Act 2001.