Jury in Kildare murder trial sent home for a third evening without verdict

The jury in a Kildare murder trial has been sent home for a third evening without reaching a verdict.

Zoltan Almasi is accused of murdering Joseph Dunne with a baseball bat near his home at Harbour View in Naas two years ago.

After deliberating for nine hours, the jurors came back with a question this afternoon.

They wanted a definition for “terminal collapse” – a term used during the trial by the Deputy State Pathologist.

They were told that Dr. Michael Curtis gave evidence of injuries to Joseph Dunne’s being quite typical of somebody collapsing hard onto a rough surface.

Afterwards, the jurors spent another 20 minutes deliberating before they were sent home until tomorrow afternoon.

Zoltan Almasi admits chasing a group of men away from his home on the night of May 16th 2014. He told Gardai he grabbed a bat after seeing them outside hitting and jumping on his van but denies striking anyone with it.

He said he went back to his house after one of them fell on the street.

The jury has been told the lesser charge of manslaughter is also open to them and that it can return a majority verdict.