A JURY will hear how Garda forensic experts found blood matching that of a retired barman on a running shoe belonging to a 25-year-old man accused of his murder, the opening day of the man’s trial was told yesterday.
Outlining the prosecution case against Paul Murphy, Mary Ellen Ring SC said the State would present evidence that blood matching that of 62-year-old Donal Manley was found on the inside left heel of a runner belonging to Mr Murphy.
Yesterday at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork, Mr Murphy from Kilmore Road, Knocknaheeny, Cork, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Manley at the victim’s home at High Street in Cork between October 10th and October 12th, 2008.
Mr Murphy also denies a charge of assault causing serious harm to Mr Manley and to stealing a number of items, including a red jacket, a baseball cap, an umbrella, a gold watch and a flat-screen television. Ms Ring said the State would also present evidence that a palm-print of blood on the kitchen door of Mr Manley’s house was found to match Mr Murphy’s print, along with evidence that shoe prints found on the floor of the house matched a pair of shoes worn by Mr Murphy.
Ms Ring told the jury of three men and nine women that the prosecution would present evidence that Mr Manley was socialising in a number of pubs in Cork city on the night of October 9th last and that he met Mr Murphy in the Morrison’s Quay/Fitton Street area of the city.
She said the jury would be shown CCTV depicting some figures, one of whom, the State would say, was Mr Manley, who had worked in the bar trade in Cork for many years and had lived at High Street for over 20 years.
The State would present evidence that Mr Manley was last seen alive at about 2pm on October 10th and that a man in a red jacket was seen carrying an umbrella and a flat-screen television in the High Street area between 5pm and 5.30pm heading toward Douglas.
“It is the State’s case that between 2pm and 5.30pm on that date, October 10th, the late Mr Manley was severely assaulted in a way that led to his death and that Mr Murphy carried out that assault,” said Ms Ring.
The jury would hear evidence from Assistant State Pathologist Dr Declan Gilsenan that Mr Manley suffered two fractures to his jaw, fractures of both his right and left cheekbones, an extensive fracture at the base of his skull and fractures of the thyroid cartilage.
“You will hear evidence that the cause of death was contusion of the brain and intracranial haemorrhage secondary to fracture of the skull,” said Ms Ring, adding that Mr Manley also suffered bruising around his eyes, particularly on the left side of his face.
Mr Manley’s neighbours, Donal and Cathy Kelly, told how they saw signs of a disturbance when they looked through the window of the house at 7.30pm on October 12th and saw a pair of upright shoes behind a couch, suggesting that someone had collapsed.
They notified gardaí and Garda Jim Smiddy arrived and gained entry to the house, where he found Mr Manley dead in a pool of blood.
The case continues.