A jury has been told that it can reach a majority verdict in the trial of a woman accused of murdering her colleague by driving him into a harbour, where he drowned.
Marta Herda of Pairc Na Saile, Emoclew Road, Arklow, Co Wicklow is charged with the murder of 31-year-old Csaba Orsos on March 26, 2013.
The 29-year-old Polish waitress has pleaded not guilty to murdering the Hungarian at South Quay, Arklow.
Both were in Ms Herda’s car when it went into the water shortly before 6am. Ms Herda escaped at the harbour but Mr Orsos couldn’t swim and his body was found on a nearby beach later that day.
The Central Criminal Court trial heard that they had worked together in a hotel. She told gardaí that he was in love with her but she didn’t feel the same way.
She said he had spent two years following her, phoning her and sending her messages. She told detectives they had been arguing in the car when it went into the water.
Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy sent the eight men and four women of the jury out to begin deliberating on Monday morning.
He had told them that they had three possible verdicts open to them: guilty of murder, acquittal, or not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.
They spent Monday and Tuesday deliberating and returned to their jury room Wednesday and watched portions of Ms Herda’s garda interviews. They also watched CCTV footage of Ms Herda running along the harbour that morning.
They had deliberated for more than seven hours when the judge told them he would now accept a majority verdict of not less than 10.
They were sent home for the evening after failing to reach a verdict and will resume deliberations Thursday morning.