Murder trial hears that two men were seen running from estate where deceased lived

The trial of a Cavan man accused of murder has heard that two men were seen running from the housing estate where the deceased man had lived, minutes after his alleged murder.

The jury at the Central Criminal Court has also heard that the deceased man’s partner screamed at her neighbour that the accused man was the assailant.

Trevor McCabe (aged 34), Mountpleasant, Ballyconnell, Co Cavan has pleaded not guilty to murdering Darren McGrath (33) in Belturbet, Co Cavan on May 20th last year.

It is the prosecution’s case that Mr McCabe shot Mr McGrath as he slept.

Andrea Murphy, neighbour of the deceased and his partner, Nicole Lennon, told the court that she awoke to a “bang” at 4.50am on the morning of the alleged murder.

She thought her baby had fallen out of her cot so ran to the room to check, the court heard.

When she saw that the baby was still sleeping, she returned to her bedroom.

Ms Murphy heard a second bang, followed by “screaming” from next door.

She ran next door and saw Ms Lennon, who was on the landing, the court heard.

“She was hysterical. She was screaming: ‘Darren [McGrath]’s shot, he’s shot, Trevor shot him, Darren’s been shot.’”

Darren Murphy told the court that he was awoken after he heard his wife, the previous witness, shouting.

“She thought our daughter fell out of her cot,” he said.

Mr Murphy then heard a bang, the court heard.

His wife ran downstairs and he drew back the curtains.

“I looked out the window, left and right, and saw two people running around the top of the estate, disappearing around the top house.”

The first of the men was five or 10 steps in front of the second, the court heard.

“The second man stopped at a corner. He had something covering his mouth and nose. He looked back at the houses. After he stopped, he took off running as best he could.

“He was impaired with a bad limp. I think it was his left leg.

“Nine or 10 seconds after they disappeared I heard a wheel spin or a tyre screeching from that direction.”

Adam McGrath, from Cork, told the court that he spent most of the weekend before the alleged murder with his brother, the deceased.

They attended a motorcycle rally in Portrush, Co Antrim.

En route to the rally, they met the accused, Mr McCabe, who was driving a white van.

Mr McGrath said that he had seen the accused in his brother’s company “a few times”.

He slept in his brother’s house the night before the alleged murder, the court heard.

He heard “two bangs, followed by, maybe, a silence, a strange, eerie silence that might have been for 0.2 of a second, followed by the worst sound I’ve ever heard in my whole life, which was a woman and her child screaming, which is the worst sound you’ve ever heard, ever”.

The trial continues.