Partner recalls stab victim’s last moments

THE partner of a 27-year-old man stabbed to death in a Killarney housing estate in January 2005 yesterday described his last moments.

Rachel Doyle told an inquest how she screamed for help and tried to pull Fergal Landy’s assailant Joe Greaney away from him with her free hand while she held their baby with the other hand.

Father of one Joe Greaney, 36, from Limerick, was later convicted of murdering Mr Landy and sentenced to life imprisonment. Both men had worked as chefs in the town, at one time together in the Whitegates Hotel, where Mr Landy was working when he died.

A post-mortem examination carried out by State pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy found that Mr Landy, of Apartment 40, Cahernane Meadows, Killarney, died from a stab wound to the heart. He was a native of Ennis, Co Clare.

Ms Doyle told the inquest she and Mr Landy were in their apartment, on the night of January 24, 2005, when Mr Landy received a text message saying: “I’m coming for you” from Joe Greaney. He rang back and she heard him say: “I’m coming to get you.”

In a short while, she heard Greaney shout outside the apartment, ‘Come out, I’m going to kill you.’ Mr Landy went out taking a golf club and she heard shouting between the pair. She heard Mr Landy telling Greaney to put the knife away.

She followed him out after a short while with the baby and heard arguing. The deceased was telling Greaney to put a knife away. Mr Landy said he had been stabbed twice.

Greaney was holding Mr Landy in a headlock and shortly after they were on the ground. “He (Greaney) was whispering into his ear: ‘You’re so dead’,” she said. She was screaming and tried to pull the knife away.

When she lifted up Mr Landy’s top, she could see blood everywhere and a knife beneath him.

She tried to resuscitate him, without any effect. Greaney tried to do the same and ran for help. Mr Landy was pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor at 12.15am. The post-mortem showed two stab wounds and the cause of death was a stab wound to the heart. A jury returned a unanimous verdict of unlawful killing.