The son and daughter-in-law of a pensioner murdered earlier this year near the Border yesterday denied the killing.
Newry Magistrates Court was told builder David McCartan (35), Rossmara Park, Warrenpoint, replied "not guilty" when police charged him with the murder of his mother Annie (75), who was found beaten and stabbed to death at her home in the town in June.
Her daughter-in-law, Geraldine McCartan (34) of the same address, told police: "No I didn't," when the murder charge was put to her.
Det Chief Insp Ricky Harkness also told the magistrate he believed he could connect the husband and wife to Mrs McCartan's murder.
Questioned by Mr McCartan's solicitor, Ciaran Rafferty, Mr Harkness said he had witness evidence, circumstantial evidence, forensic evidence and other evidence that he wished to reserve, connecting the accused.
He also confirmed that Mr McCartan had at least 10 interviews with police over 96 hours, but disputed Mr Rafferty's claim that Mr McCartan had asserted his innocence at each interview.
Under cross-examination from Geraldine McCartan's solicitor, Gerard Trainor, the chief inspector would not confirm that police had bugged the couple's home during the investigation.
When asked if it was his intention, when he left the court, to look for further evidence, and whether it was the case that Geraldine McCartan had been shown no forensic evidence or witness evidence placing her at the scene of the crime, the chief inspector replied: "This is phase one of a murder investigation.
"I have a duty to discover all evidence in an investigation whether it be supportive of the Crown case or the defence case."
The chief inspector challenged Mr Trainor's suggestion that his case was based on speculation.
"I do not build murder investigations with speculation," he said.
The chief inspector told Mr Trainor that he wished to reserve any of the precise detail of how Mrs McCartan was murdered, and when Mr Trainor put it to him that he did not allege that Geraldine McCartan inflicted a fatal injury on her mother-in-law,he said that that was a matter for the trial and not for the magistrates' court.
Both accused were remanded in custody by the magistrate, Paul Copeland, to appear again at Newry via videolink on December 20th.