A man died from a wound through the heart inflicted with a chef's knife, the opening day of a murder trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Tralee, Co Kerry, heard yesterday.
Joe Greaney (35), Cahernane Meadows, Muckross, Killarney, pleaded not guilty to murder "but guilty to manslaughter" when arraigned for the murder of Fergal Landy (27), also with an address at Cahernane Meadows.
Both were chefs as well as friends who worked in the Killarney area, Mr Greaney since 2000, Patrick McCarthy, prosecuting, told the jury.
They lived "not far from each other" in the Cahernane Meadows estate, where the murder is alleged to have occurred at around midnight between January 24th and 25th, 2005.
Mr Greaney had just left Killarney to work in Ballina, Co Mayo, for a brief period.
The deceased had received two major knife wounds, one of which was fatal.
State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy, who carried out the postmortem examination, had said the fatal wound was with a knife entering the chest cavity, into the pericardial sac and through the heart, Mr McCarthy outlined. The knife was a kitchen or chef's knife of the type "used to cut meat".
The fatal wound was 12.2cm in depth and the 29cm knife had a blade of 19.5cms, the counsel said.
The second major wound was a transverse wound through the left upper abdomen, below that of the wound to the heart.
Five minor knife wounds or cuts were also found on the deceased's fingers, hands and wrist, which might be classified as defensive wounds. There were 10 other injuries including bruising, Mr McCarthy said.
The events that led to the death started shortly after 11.30pm on January 24th, 2005, when Mr Greaney contacted Mr Landy by mobile phone issuing a number of threats, including: "I am coming for you" by text message.
He left his home armed with two weapons , a golf club and the knife, and shouted for Mr Landy outside his home at Cahernane Meadows, saying: "Come out, I am going to kill you," Mr McCarthy told the court.
The fact Mr Greaney had left his home and gone to that of the deceased and stated his intention indicated a hostile or violent intent, he said.
The trial, before Justice Paul Carney, is expected to take up to two weeks. It was the first time the High Court on the criminal side had come to Co Kerry.