Cavan man pleads not guilty to killing father

A young Cavan man accused of murdering his father “wanted to take money from him to buy a car”, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

Seamus Fitzgerald (aged 21), has pleaded not guilty to murdering his father James Fitzgerald in Lisgar, Baileborough, Co Cavan on January 8, 2006.

Alex Owens SC opened the prosecution case. He told the jury of seven women and five men that the accused had a “somewhat difficult relationship with his parents” and had “difficulties at school".

He said that the deceased was a shopkeeper, married with three children, including the accused.

Mr Owens said that Seamus Fitzgerald was living with his parents at the time of the alleged murder. He said that James Fitzgerald returned home from his shop on the evening of January 7th and had the shop’s takings with him, which amounted to €4,000.

Mr Owens told the jury that they will hear evidence that Seamus Fitzgerald had “earlier wanted to purchase a car and was looking for money from his sister.”

The prosecution will suggest that the motive for the alleged murder was that Seamus Fitzgerald “wanted to take money from his father to get the motorcar he wanted to purchase.”

Mr Owens told the jury that James Fitzgerald was in the kitchen watching television and that Seamus Fitzgerald was in the sitting-room. He was watching the film ‘Goodfellas’ and drinking beer – four cans in the time up until midnight.

The jury will hear evidence that Seamus Fitzgerald “decided during the evening that he wanted to kill his father.”

They will also hear evidence that, as soon as his mother went to bed, Seamus Fitzgerald went into the kitchen, where his father was asleep, sitting upright in a chair.

Mr Owens told the jury that Seamus Fitzgerald then “cut the flex off a telephone and came behind his father and strangled him with the flex.”

He said that the accused then “decided to move the body, dragging it from the kitchen through the hallway into his bedroom, where he attempted unsuccessfully to take it out the back window.”

The jury will hear that Seamus Fitzgerald then “dragged the body back into the hall and then set upon the deceased, proceeded to stab him and tried to hammer a ring off his finger.”

Mr Owens said that there will be evidence that money and a mobile phone was taken off the deceased and that the accused left the house with his passport, heading for Navan, Co Meath, where he remained for the rest of the night until he was picked up by gardaí at 7am.

The jury was told that the question of the Seamus Fitzgerald’s mental state may arise during the course of the evidence.

Michael Keating was working in the ballistics section of the Garda Technical Bureau at the time of the alleged murder.

He told Mr Owens that in his observations of the scene he noticed “what appeared to be drag marks along the kitchen floor going toward the hallway.”

He said that he then noticed James Fitzgerald’s body, “lying on his back in the hallway, with his feet pointed toward the bedroom.”

Mr Keating told the jury that he saw a “large silver kitchen knife protruding from the deceased’s chest” and that blood had “flown from his mouth, nose and chest and had congealed on the floor.”

He said that he saw a “second quantity of blood under James Fitzgerald’s left hand.” The ring finger was “bruised and cut.” Mr Keating said that this was an “indicator of the hand being struck forcibly.”

Mr Keating told the jury that he also observed drag marks along the bedroom floor. He said that these were “indicative of James Fitzgerald’s body being dragged toward the window and then back again to where it lay.”

The trial, which continues tomorrow, is expected to last a week.