A 24-YEAR-OLD man has been found not guilty of murder but guilty of the manslaughter of his sister’s partner after a stabbing in Co Mayo last year.
Fintan McKenna, of Woodlands, Balla, Castlebar had denied the murder of Francis Heneghan in Kiltimagh, Co Mayo, on August 12th, 2009.
Mr Heneghan, a construction worker and father of three, bled to death in a laneway after being stabbed 11 times.
After four hours and 37 minutes of deliberations over two days, the jury of eight women and four men brought in a majority verdict of 10-to-two on the 10th day of the trial at the Central Criminal Court.
Mr Justice John Edwards remanded McKenna to appear before him again on December 20th for sentencing.
The prosecution argued that McKenna, originally from Artane in Dublin, did not get on with Mr Heneghan, and at the time of the killing there was considerable animosity between the pair because allegedly Mr Heneghan was cheating on Grace McKenna, the sister of the accused.
The prosecution claimed McKenna stabbed Mr Heneghan 11 times following an altercation in a laneway at the side of the Tavern pub in Kiltimagh.
The jury heard evidence from Sinéad McGinty, who said Mr Heneghan had stayed with her in Kiltimagh prior to his death, because Grace McKenna had kicked him out of their home in Ballyheane, outside Castlebar.
A number of young witnesses who had been drinking with McKenna on the night of the killing, gave evidence they saw Mr Heneghan challenge McKenna to a fight down a laneway, but he refused.
Lucia Finn told the court she saw McKenna take a knife from Kevin Carmichael and put it in his pocket.
McKenna told gardaí in interviews he took the knife to protect himself because he was afraid of Mr Heneghan, who he claimed had “cut people up” in the past.
Finbarr Manley said Mr Heneghan spotted someone down the laneway at the side of the Tavern pub, and he sprang forward throwing punches at the man who was there.
Seconds later, gardaí followed the men into the laneway and discovered Mr Heneghan lying on the ground, bleeding profusely and struggling for breath.
Deputy State Pathologist Dr Khalid Jabbar told the court Mr Heneghan died from significant blood loss caused by multiple penetrating stab wounds to the heart, lungs and neck.
McKenna admitted to gardaí he stabbed Mr Heneghan twice in the chest in self-defence, but insisted he could not have killed him.