Man died in €100 drug debt row, trial hears

A man was allegedly stabbed to death during a row over a €100 drug debt, a murder trial heard yesterday.

William Gilsenan, 24, of The Green, Larch Hill, Oscar Traynor Road, Santry, Dublin 17, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 29-year-old Edward Fitzgerald in a car park outside his home on October 17, 2014.

On the opening day of the trial yesterday, Dillon Mahady told prosecuting counsel Orla Crowe SC that Edward Fitzgerald was his best friend and “like my big brother”.

On October 17 he went with Mr Fitzgerald to the estate where they knew Mr Gilsenan lived. He said the accused owed Mr Fitzgerald €100 for marijuana and he wanted his money.

They didn’t know which apartment Mr Gilsenan lived in and they didn’t really expect to find him, he said, so they sat in the car and smoked a joint. But when Mr Gilsenan and another man arrived in a taxi behind them, Mr Fitzgerald got out of the car to confront him and they had an argument.

After the argument Mr Gilsenan walked towards the apartments at The Green. They finished the joint but as they were preparing to leave Mr Gilsenan emerged again and Mr Fitzgerald shouted at him from the driver’s seat of the car: “What’s the story?”

Mr Gilsenan approached the car and another argument flared up with the accused man standing at the open passenger side window, Mr Mahady in the passenger seat and Mr Fitzgerald in the driver’s seat. Mr Mahady said: “Willy just snapped.”

“Eddie was trying to open the door and Willy was swinging what I thought were punches until I saw a blade in his hand.”

He described it as a kitchen knife with a black handle. He said he then saw the accused wipe the knife and throw it away in a green area beside the car park.

The trial continues tomorrow before Justice Paul Butler and a jury of seven women and five men.