Accused stabbed man in a ‘rage’

The man charged with the murder of archaeologist Emmett Connolly initially told gardaí in an interview he panicked and stabbed the deceased after a fight but later told them he had stabbed Mr Connolly in a “rage”, a jury has heard.

Kevin Moran, aged 30, of Lodgeview, Coothill, Co Cavan, but originally from Shankill in Dublin, is charged with the murder of Emmet Connolly, aged 32, at Lodgeview, Cootehill on September 29, 2013.

When asked how he pleaded to the charge when the trial opened on Monday, Mr Moran, a widowed father-of-three said “not guilty. Not guilty of murder, guilty of manslaughter”. This plea was not accepted by the DPP.

Yesterday Cormac Quinn, prosecuting, reading from Mr Moran’s first statement to gardai at Baileborough garda station, on September 29, 2013 and recounted to the court how Mr Moran said all Mr Connolly wanted that evening was drugs.

“Coke or Es, he was mad for Es. He was getting thick because he couldn’t get them. He was getting so pissed off about getting drugs.

When I went to hug him, he grabbed me firmly by the arm, and said don’t. I was trying to include him in the craic” said Mr Quinn, reading Mr Moran’s statement.

The jury heard how a “drink-fuelled” argument ensued between Mr Connolly and Mr Moran.

In his statement Mr Moran said Mr Connolly grabbed him in the kitchenbefore Mr Moran hit him a box in the face.

“It didn’t even faze him. I must have slipped and he started hitting me to the ribs and stomach and hit me to the face. We were on the ground when doing this. I panicked and I grabbed something off the kitchen sink, a knife, a bread knife.

“Mr Connolly came for me again and I stabbed him in stomach area two or three times, I panicked. He fell then against my big freezer,” said Mr Quinn, recounting what Mr Moran said.

In the afternoon, the prosecution called Det Garda Jerome Crawford, who had taken the second version of Kevin Moran’s statement on September 29, 2013.

By this time State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis had examined Mr Connolly and reported there were no stab marks to his stomach.

Mr Quinn told the court how despite Mr Moran’s claims that Mr Connolly had hit him, there was no markings on him.

The court heard how police at the time told Mr Moran his account of the night was “bullshit and he didn’t stab him (Mr Connolly) to the front at all.”

“He has defensive wounds to his arms” the guards told Mr Moran at the time.

“Could you have stabbed him in a frenzy” asked the guards.

“I could have. He attacked me in my house” read Mr Moran

“It wasn’t my intention to kill him, a temper came over me. I knew I was after doing something very wrong when I calmed down.” read Mr Quinn.

“I wasn’t looking at it like that. I was in a rage. It was a stupid mistake” said Mr Moran in his statement as read to the court.

The trial continues under Justice Paul Carney.