Accused admitted hiding victim's clothing, court told

A man accused of murder admitted to a garda inspector that he went back to the victim’s body days after her death, removed some of her clothing and hid them in a graveyard skip, it was alleged at the Central Criminal court today.

Inspector Gerry O’Brien told a murder trial jury that after a brief appearance at Drogheda District court on November 2, 2001, the accused, Michael Murphy, aged 42, confided in him while he was having lunch in a cell at Drogheda Garda station.

Mr Murphy is pleading not guilty to the murder of German journalist Bettina Poeschel, aged 28, at Donore, Co Meath on or between September 25 and October 17 2001.

“He asked me could he have a cigarette” said Insp. O’Brien.

After Mr Murphy was given a cigarette, Insp. O’Brien asked him if there was anything else he could do for him.

“He said he was working on the motorway and had some money and he wanted the money to go to his mother” said O’Brien.

He rang Mr Murphy’s solicitor for him so he could make the necessary arrangements.

When the private phone call was over, Mr Murphy allegedly asked Insp. O’ Brien: “Why are you so kind to me after all I have done? I’m sorry for everything” he said.

Mr Murphy then asked: “How is that girl’s family? Have you found the red shoes yet?” according to Insp. O’Brien.

The jury heard that Mr Murphy went on to say “look, I went back to the body two or three days later. I took the red shoes and trousers and hid them in the graveyard in Donore. Have you found them?”.

Insp. O’Brien told prosecuting counsel Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley SC that as soon as he heard this he went outside to look for another Garda because he was “aware of the significance of what Michael Murphy had said”.

Insp. O’Brien then made some notes based on Mr Murphy’s comments in front of another Garda in the cell.

Mr Murphy then nodded to confirm the notes were correct and buried his head in his hands, the Inspector told the court.

Insp. O’Brien immediately directed a Garda to the graveyard at Donore to see if there was a skip there.

“A short time later he called me and confirmed there was a skip at Donore” he said.

Ms Poeschel’s heavily mud-stained black trousers, red shoes and black socks were held up in court today and identified by Insp. O’Brien as the same clothes found in the graveyard skip at Donore.

Earlier the court heard details of Mr Murphy’s arrest at his home at 8.10am on Saturday October 27, 2001 and his subsequent detention at Drogheda Garda station.

Detective Sergeant Gerard McGrath told the jury that when Mr Murphy was asked why several people were told different accounts about how he hurt his back on the day Ms Poeschel disappeared, he replied “I can’t say”.

When detectives told Mr Murphy that his DNA was identified from the semen tests carried out on Ms Poeschel’s body, he began “visibly shaking”.

When pressed on the matter, Mr Murphy told the detectives “I can’t talk about this, just charge me with it”. They asked him again could he explain himself and Murphy replied “I can’t. Just charge me”.

Ms Poeschel went missing the day before she was due to return home to Munich, Germany after a six day trip to Ireland.

She was found dead in a field off the Donore Road, Co Meath on 17 October 2001 after an extensive Garda search operation.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Aindrias O’Caoimh and a jury of seven men and five women tomorrow.