Murder trial jury retires for the night

A jury has retired to a hotel for the night after failing to reach a unanimous verdict in the trial of a Louth man accused of murdering a young German woman in 2001.

The seven men and five women deliberated on evidence at the Central Criminal court for two-and-a-half hours before Mr Justice Aindrias O’Caoimh ordered them to rest for the night and sent them to a Dublin hotel. They were earlier directed by the judge that their verdict must be unanimous.

"If you have any doubt on the matter you must proceed to acquit," said Mr Justice O’Caoimh in his address to the jury, adding that they must find that the prosecution had "proved beyond reasonable doubt" before bringing a guilty verdict against the accused, Mr Michael Murphy.

Mr Murphy (aged 42) has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Bettina Poeschel (aged 28) at Donore, Co Meath on a date on or between 25 September and 17 October 2001. Ms Poeschel's badly decomposed remains were found lying in dense undergrowth at Donore some three weeks after her disappearance on 25 September 2001.

Ms Poeschel’s younger sister and father have travelled from their home in Munich, Germany for the conclusion of the trial and were present in court for today’s proceedings.

Over the past four weeks the jury have heard evidence from seventy-five witnesses, including the sister and friend of the accused and three Latvian truck-drivers who worked with the accused in September 2001.

The jury heard evidence of alleged admissions by Mr Murphy that he returned to the body and hid the red shoes, trousers and socks of Ms Poeschel in a graveyard skip. DNA matching that of Mr Murphy was also identified on swabs taken from Ms Poeschel’s body.

The jury will resume their deliberations at the Central Criminal court tomorrow morning.