GARDA WITNESSES have told the trial of a Co Wicklow man accused of murdering a shopkeeper in 2009 that a bloodstained knife and makeshift balaclava were discovered at his home two days after the killing.
Det Garda Paul Cumiskey told the court he called to Anthony Farrell’s home in Arklow on November 27th, 2009, where the then 19-year-old butcher told him he had spent the evening of November 25th driving around the town with his friend. Mr Farrell also said he had passed Brauder’s shop on Coolgreany Road, where John Deasy had been fatally stabbed, during the drive but had noticed nothing unusual.
Several hours after this statement, gardaí searched Mr Farrell’s home and discovered a bloodstained knife wrapped in a garden glove in a shed at the back of the house. They also found tracksuit pants, runners, a hooded bodywarmer and a light blue Nike hat with three large holes cut out of the front in the style of a balaclava.
Mr Farrell (20), of Marian Villas, Arklow, has denied murdering Mr Deasy. He has pleaded guilty to a second count of robbery at Brauder’s shop on November 25th, 2009.
The court has heard that Mr Farrell went to Brauder’s shop at 8pm on November 25th disguised in a balaclava and armed with a knife, and demanded money from Kay O’Conner, who was working there.
She opened the till and screamed for Mr Deasy, who owned the newsagents and who lived in an apartment overhead. He arrived in the shop, also armed with a knife, and a struggle between the two men ensued.
The struggle moved on to the road in front of the shop, where Mr Farrell ran from the scene and Mr Deasy collapsed on the doorstep. He had been stabbed once through the chest.
State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy told the jury Mr Deasy sustained a 10cm deep wound that cut through his rib, almost fully severing the aorta, the main blood vessel to the heart. The weapon would probably have been a broad, sturdy blade. When shown the knife recovered by gardaí, she said she was of the opinion it “could have caused the fatal injury”.
During cross-examination by Mr Farrell’s defence counsel, Michael O’Higgins SC, Prof Cassidy agreed it was possible Mr Farrell would have been unaware he had stabbed Mr Deasy.
Mr O’Higgins also put it to Sgt Patrick Carroll, who carried out the searches at Mr Farrell’s home, that it was “unusual if not incredible” that Mr Farrell had left the knife there with blood visible on the blade.
Sergeant Carroll agreed it appeared as if there had been no effort to wipe the blade clean or to get rid of any of the items found.
The trial resumes on Monday.