A woman accused of murdering her husband told gardai that a week before his body was found in the bedroom they shared he had forced himself on her and threatened to kill her. Her husband told her that if she went to the police he would kill her "for sure".
Mrs Anna Maria Sacco (21) has pleaded not guilty in the Central Criminal Court to the murder of her husband, Franco Sacco (29), at their home at Coolamber Park, Templeogue, Dublin, on March 20th, 1997.
The State alleges that she "brought about" the killing of her husband, although a 15-year-old girl who lived in the house at the same time pulled the trigger "on her behalf". The teenager has already pleaded guilty to the murder and is due for sentencing next month.
Garda John Schley, of Rath farnham Garda station, told Mr Peter Charleton SC, prosecuting, that on the evening of March 20th he spoke to Mrs Sacco when she was taken into her neighbour's house after being told that gardai had found her husband's body.
At first Mrs Sacco was "very distraught", he said, but as they talked she "calmed down". He began to take notes of their conversation and these developed into a statement, which she had signed when it was complete.
In the statement, Mrs Sacco began to account for her movements during the day. She went on to allege that her husband had beaten and raped her. She told Garda Schley that on the previous Thursday night, "because she had thrush", she had refused to have sex with her husband. "He forced himself on me", she said.
Franco Sacco had taken out a belt and "came full force on my arm". She started screaming, she said. "He kept telling me to shut up and don't be starting a scene."
"He threatened to kill me", Mrs Sacco said. Her husband had then told her to get into bed. Then, when he was in bed with her, he had taken all the blankets off her and on to himself.
She got up and went to the bathroom to smoke a cigarette. At this stage her husband had told her: "Don't put a foot outside the door, and, by the way, if you go to the police, I'll kill you for sure."
Later that day she went to her mother's. Although she had tried to conceal her bruises with her hair, at one stage her mother had said: "What happened to your eye?"
According to Mrs Sacco's statement, she then fell to the floor and blacked out. She could not breathe and an ambulance was called. She was taken to St Vincent's Hospital and told staff there everything that had happened.
She described the teenage girl who has pleaded guilty to the murder as her "best friend". In the days before the killing, her friend told her she had smoked "two cues of gear". The girl had said: "I can't stand what he has done." Her husband had said that he would kick the girl out of the house, but she pleaded with him not to do that.
Mrs Sacco told Garda Schley that she had left her house at 9.30 a.m. on the day her husband was killed and drove to Kimmage, returning at 11.20 a.m. to collect the teenager. She did not go into the house, but blew the horn, and the girl had come out.
They went to the chip shop owned by her husband and tried to light the chip pans, but they would not light, and she left for her mother's house at 1 p.m. At 3.30 p.m. she drove home alone, but when she got there she saw that the bedroom blinds were closed, so she "knew Franco was still sleeping".
She went into the kitchen, picked up a plastic sack for laundry clothes and left again before 4.30 p.m. That evening her sister Catriona rang saying that the teenage girl had walked out on her and was hysterical. Her sister was panicking, she said, so she left to look for the girl in her car.
After collecting keys from her mother in Kimmage, she drove back to her house with Catriona and Catriona's girlfriend. They found the police already there. Mr Barry White SC, defending, had no questions for Garda Schley on his evidence.
The trial continues today before Mr Justice O'Higgins and a jury.