Ms Anna Maria Sacco and Mr Joe Delaney each face retrials on murder charges in the Central Criminal Court early next January and February. A jury was discharged on May 30th after failing to reach a verdict in the first three-week trial of Ms Sacco (22), who denied murdering her husband, Mr Franco Sacco (29), at their home in Coolamber Park, Templeogue, on March 20th last year.
She was in the Central Criminal Court yesterday with her mother, Ms Lorna Sacco, to hear that she will face a retrial on February 8th next. The dead man's sister, Antoinette, was also in court.
The jury in Mr Delaney's first trial also failed to agree on a verdict. They were discharged almost a month ago after a four-week trial.
Mr Delaney (53) had pleaded not guilty to charges that he, along with his son, Scott Delaney, murdered Mark Dwyer (23) on or about December 14th, 1996, and that he falsely imprisoned Mr Dwyer at Foster Terrace, Ballybough, on the same date.
His son, Scott, is already serving a life sentence for the murder, for which he was convicted by a jury last October.
In court yesterday, Mr Patrick Gageby SC, prosecuting, asked if an earlier date could be set for Mr Delaney's retrial. He said the accused man would have been in custody for two years by next January 11th, the date set for the retrial.
But the date was fixed for January 11th when Mr Garnett Orange, defending, said this was the first date on which his leader, Mr Blaise O'Carroll SC, would be available.