Dying man said brother stabbed him, court told

A 34-YEAR-OLD man was heard to say “my own brother stabbed me” after sustaining a fatal knife wound to the heart, a murder trial was told yesterday at the Central Criminal Court in Tralee.

The second day of the trial heard how father-of-five Michael “Drip” Lonergan received three stab wounds in a New Year’s Eve row at his home with his brother, Ailbe Lonergan.

The court was told a heavy drinking session extending for two days and a night had taken place in the house in the lead-up to the stabbing.

Ailbe Lonergan, 31, of 12 Quill Street, Tralee, has denied murdering Michael Lonergan at 58 Baloonagh Estate, Tralee, on December 31, 2006.

At the time of his death, Michael Lonergan was facing charges arising from the seizure of €9,600 worth of amphetamines and cocaine and the court was told he had a cocaine dependency.

His widow, Yvonne, yesterday testified he smoked cannabis joints, but she never saw him taking cocaine and said he had never been convicted of drug dealing.

Louise O’Brien, described by the prosecution as the only witness who saw the incident, told the court of visiting Michael Lonergan’s home on a number of occasions on the day of his death.

She first went there at 10am to collect her partner, Emmet Coffey, who had stayed there overnight and who had been drinking there that night and the day before. She brought him home, but brought him back to Michael’s house later that day.

Emmet Coffey, who agreed he had more than 30 convictions for burglary as well as convictions for assault and cannabis use, is a brother of Michael Lonergan’s widow, Yvonne.

Ms O’Brien, who has three young children, said she went back to Michael Lonergan’s house at 5.45pm on December 31. She says she saw the brothers fighting and throwing “three or four digs” at each other. She also told the court she saw Ailbe throw a knife away.

She then saw Michael holding his hand to his side, which was covered in blood. There was also a lot of blood on Michael’s T-shirt.

Ms O’Brien said she heard Michael say to Emmet Coffey: “Ailbe stabbed me. The bastard stabbed me. My own brother stabbed me.” Cross-examined by defence counsel Anthony Sammon, Ms O’Brien said she was sober but the other people in the house were all drunk. There was also arguing going on.

Among the exhibits presented to the court were a sword, two knives and a quantity of drugs.

Emmet Coffey said Michael Lonergan had asked Ailbe to stop being abusive to other people in the house, or else to leave.

When Michael took an ornamental sword off the wall, the witness took it from him and put it back on the wall.

Following a separate incident between Michael and Ailbe, he saw Michael lying in the hallway and knew he was badly hurt. The colour had gone from his lips and they got towels to try to stop the bleeding.

“He (Michael) said to me Ailbe had stabbed him,” said Mr Coffey.

In evidence, Yvonne Lonergan said when she asked her husband what had happened, he told her it was alright and not to be upset. She said he told her, “we’ll get that c*** when I get out”, and assumed he was referring to Ailbe.

Ms Lonergan identified the black-handled kitchen knife found at the scene of the stabbing as coming from her house.

Cross-examined by Mr Sammon, she said she never saw her husband, or anyone else, consuming cocaine in her house and did not know her husband was cocaine-dependant.

The trial before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of nine men and three women continues today.