The jury in the trial of a man accused of the murder of his wife in Dublin in 1996 was sent away until next Tuesday after a brief sitting in the Central Criminal Court yesterday. Before the adjournment, the jurors heard from the deceased woman's elderly mother, who lives in Kilrush, Co Clare.
The body of her daughter, Ms Patricia Murphy (33), a mother of four, was found beside a skip in Glasnevin on May 28th, 1996.
Ms Murphy's husband, Mr David Murphy (36), of Munster Road, Phibsboro, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife between May 27th and May 28th, 1996. Mrs Brigid Behan (78) was aided to the witness box by a friend of her deceased daughter. She agreed with Mr Gregory Murphy SC, prosecuting, that she was both grandmother and godmother to the eldest of Patricia's children, a girl now 11 years old.
Mrs Behan was led by the prosecution counsel in her evidence, with the agreement of Mr Brendan Grogan SC, for the defence.
She agreed that her grand daughter's first Holy Communion was on May 18th, 1996 and that she had come to Dublin for it. At the time, she had gone to Kilrush Post Office and sent a money order for £150 to her daughter Patricia. Mrs Behan also agreed with prosecution counsel that on the morning of Tuesday, May 28th, the day Ms Murphy's body was found by a builder in The Rise, Glasnevin, she received a phone call from her son-in-law, Mr David Murphy. He asked "Is Patricia down there with you?".
Mrs Behan agreed she had "got alarmed". She told him Patricia wasn't there and asked him if something was wrong.
He said "No" but that she hadn't come home the night before. Mrs Behan said "there must be something wrong" that she hadn't come home, but Mr Murphy had told her there was "nothing wrong", she just hadn't returned home.
Her son-in-law rang back "in an hour", she agreed with counsel. He said "everything was all right", he had found her.
He told her he had located his wife in a friend's house in Bray and that she was on her way back and would call her. The witness agreed she was "glad to hear this but had some doubt that something was wrong".
She waited for her daughter to call her, but she didn't. Shortly after Mr Murphy rang, two gardai called to her house and told her daughter was dead.
Mr Justice Cyril Kelly then adjourned the trial until next Tuesday.