A 40-year-old Co Donegal man was found guilty yesterday of murdering his estranged wife and burning her remains and was given the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.
The jury of nine men and three women deliberated for four hours and 37 minutes before delivering their unanimous decision to a packed courtroom.
Gary McCrea (40), of Ballybulgin, Laghy, Co Donegal, had denied the murder of his wife and the mother of his four children, Dolores McCrea (39), of Ballintra, Co Donegal, on a date unknown between January 20th and January 22nd, 2004.
Mr Justice Michael Hanna told McCrea there was only one sentence that he could impose before sentencing him to life imprisonment.
McCrea stood holding on to the wooden bench, separated from his mother and father by two prison officers.
The family of Dolores McCrea sat united on the third and fourth benches of the courtroom as the verdict was delivered. Her parents, brothers and sisters and two daughters in court breathed a sigh of relief at the guilty verdict.
Afterwards, the couple's eldest daughter, Sharon (19), spoke to the media on behalf of her family.
She said her family was relieved that the trial had come to an end, that the jury had returned with a guilty verdict and that justice had been done.
"You must remember that there are two families here that are victims: the McCreas and the McGrorys. My mother was a wonderful mother, daughter, sister and friend to us all. She will never be forgotten.
"I would like to thank the local people of Ballintra, Donegal, who have been there since mummy's death and to the local Garda who carried out the investigation in a professional manner and who have kept us informed at this difficult time," said Ms McCrea.
During the trial Det Sgt Shane Henry, attached to the ballistics section at Garda headquarters, told the court he initially examined the smouldering fire late in the evening of January 22nd, 2004.
Along with State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy and other technical gardaí, Det Sgt Henry conducted a "finger-tip" investigation of the scene.
"We got down on our hands and knees and carefully removed the bones from the smouldering fire," he said. The fire continued to smoulder, and he secured two powder extinguishers and smothered its remains. The next day, when Det Sgt Henry returned to the scene, the fire was still smouldering, even though it was raining, the court heard.
Det Sgt Henry said corroded parts of a Nokia mobile phone were identified from the debris and also a severely corroded gold signet ring. He said there was a presence of burned tyres and bushes in the fire and a smell of diesel. He told the court "an intense and prolonged fire" took place at the McCrea home.
Exhibits officer Det Sgt Stewart Doyle told the jury that he came into possession of many items of evidence in the case, including a video of a documentary entitled Trail of Guilt. This, along with other videos, the court heard, was discovered at the home of Mr McCrea by investigating gardaí.
Det Sgt Doyle said he viewed this home video, taped from television. It told the story of a man called Simon Carter who went missing in Swansea. Det Sgt Doyle said Carter was murdered, and the culprits buried the body before digging it up and encasing it in concrete. The video showed how the culprits then spent a day burning the body, using diesel.
The forensic dental surgeon for the State, Dr Paul Keogh, has told the trial that heavily carbonised teeth recovered from a fire at the McCrea home were consistent with the dental records of Dolores McCrea.