Murder trial accused ‘had visited victim’

A 27-year-old forestry worker accused of murdering a mother and her daughter visited her home twice in the days prior to the date of the alleged crime and had sexual contact with her, a court has heard.

Lithuanian, Aurimas Andruska, with an address at Ardmoniel Heights, Killorglin, Co Kerry, has gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court in Tralee.

He pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of murdering Lithuanian woman Jolanta Lubiene, 27, and her eight-year-old daughter, Enrika, at their home, 9 Langford Downs, Killorglin, on a date unknown between June 15 and June 17, 2013.

A jury of seven women and five men has been sworn in for the trial, expected to last three to four weeks, before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy.

There will be simultaneous interpretation throughout, with two interpreters in court.

Opening the case, Isobel Kennedy, prosecuting, traced the last known movements of Ms Lubiene and the young girl.

She said potential witnesses include the dead woman’s husband, Marius Lubys, Sr Elizabeth Farrell, a Killorglin nun who called to the woman’s home, on Sunday morning, June 16, and a number of Lithuanians living in Killorglin.

Ms Kennedy said Enrika had been born in Lithuania and mother and daughter lived together. The relationship between Jolanta and her husband, who had travelled to Ireland prior to their arrival, was “up and down”, and he had not been in Ireland since the previous April.

Jolanta was on the catering staff at St Joseph’s Nursing Home, Killorglin, and she was last seen alive on CCTV footage at Langford Street, Killorglin, at 1.54pm on Saturday, June 15. Enrika was seen cycling around the estate that morning.

Ms Kennedy said Jolanta’s sister, Kristina Kuleviciené, had made arrangements to leave her son with Jolanta that Saturday evening, and called to the house but got no reply.

Jolanta’s friend, Ramute Normonte, also rang and sent texts messages on Saturday evening, and again received no reply, the court heard.

Sr Elizabeth, of St Joseph’s Nursing Home, called around at 9.15am, on Sunday, June 16, looking for Jolanta in relation to work, and again at 11.30am and still got no reply.

The nun noted the curtains were closed and saw what she thought was a mess on the first three steps of the stairs. She also heard a dog barking inside the house, Ms Kennedy told the jury.

On Sunday evening, Jolanta’s friend, Ms Normonte, and her husband, called to the house. The dog was barking and it was around 8.30pm.

Ms Normonte looked in a side window and saw what she thought was blood on the stairs and a body on the kitchen floor.

She also noticed the skin was very pale. She immediately went to the local Garda station.

Garda Eamon Prendeville went to the scene and entered the house through the back door. The hall door was locked but he saw blood on the hall floor and stairway.

He went around the side of the house, saw the bloodied body of a woman on the kitchen floor and upstairs found the body of a young girl on the landing lying face downwards.

The scene was preserved. Jolanta was pronounced dead at 1.30am and Enrika at 1.33am.

Ms Kennedy said thatpostmortems were carried out, and the cause of death in both cases was haemorrhage, shock and multiple stab wounds.

Jolanta was stabbed in the kitchen utility area and had attempted to get out the back door. Enrika had received a serious head injury in the hallway and bled heavily going up the stairs, counsel went on.

Ms Kennedy said that the accused was arrested on June 27. He told gardaí he had come to Ireland in February 2013 and worked in forestry, and that he had called to 9 Langford Downs on June 11. He spent some time there and had taken CDs Jolanta was giving away.

On June 13 or 14, he went back to the house with a bottle of rum for her and they had sexual contact, the prosecutor said.

The jury would hear that he also told gardaí that, on June 15, he went to Killarney with two friends and returned to Killorglin.

Later that evening, he went to a party of another friend of his.

Friends of Andruska would be giving evidence and there would be Garda and civilian witnesses, Ms Kennedy stated.

Relatives of the dead woman, including her mother, her brother, sister, Kristina, and the late woman’s husband, were in court accompanied by members of Victim Assistance.

The trial continues today.