Murder trial jury shown video

THE jury in the trial of a Brazilian, accused of murdering his best friend during a party at a flat in Charleville, were yesterday shown video recordings of Garda interviews.

Jose Claudio Domingos, aged 44, with an address at Old Limerick Road, Charleville, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Alberto Do Prado Oliveira, aged 47, on September 21, 2006.

Mr Oliveira received a fatal stab wound while attending a party with friends, including the accused, at Main Street, Charleville. Domingos claims they had consumed a very strong Brazilian drink at the party and played CDs. He said, in the interviews, that Mr Oliveira cried when he talked of not seeing his children.

The accused had claimed that, at one point during the night, the victim picked up a knife and said he felt like killing himself before stabbing himself in the arm and neck.

Domingos had claimed that, earlier, his friend had repeatedly tried to grab him by the bottom and he told him stop.

He denied stabbing Alberto after he had been pushed to the floor by the deceased.

During the video interviews, the accused said he was sure he was innocent.

At one point he said: “I have lost a great friend and I have not been able to sleep since.”

The dead man’s widow, Sueli, sat in court, in the company of an interpreter.