Jury begins deliberating in Patricia O'Connor trial
A jury has begun deliberating in the trial of a 35-year-old man accused of murdering a retired grandmother, whose dismembered remains were found scattered across the Dublin and Wicklow mountains nearly three years ago.
Mr Justice Paul McDermott concluded his charge today in the Central Criminal Court trial of Kieran Greene, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering Patricia O'Connor (aged 61) at her home in Mountainview Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 on May 29, 2017.
The deceased's daughter Louise O'Connor (aged 41) and granddaughter Stephanie O'Connor (aged 22), both of Millmount Court, Dundrum Road, Dublin 14, and Louise O'Connor's ex-partner Keith Johnston (aged 43), of Avonbeg Gardens, Tallaght, Dublin 24 are all charged with impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Mr Greene, knowing or believing him to have committed an arrestable offence, to wit the murder of Mrs O'Connor on May 29, 2017.
The six-week trial has heard that the body of Mrs O’Connor was dismembered into 15 separate parts that were found at nine different locations over a 30km range in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains between June 10 and 14, 2017.
Former Deputy State Pathologist, Dr Michael Curtis, has given evidence that Mrs O'Connor's head was struck a minimum of three blows with a solid implement and the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
Addressing the jury this afternoon, Mr Justice McDermott said that one juror was unavailable for the rest of the trial and he had to decide if they could be allowed to consider the case notwithstanding her absence.The judge said he had taken the liberty of discharging the juror from service and the case will proceed with a jury of 11 persons.
In considering the evidence, he reminded the jury to consider each count separately in respect of all four accused. He told the jurors that they must avoid placing any value on anything Mr Greene said about the other three accused saying: "That is only evidence in his own case".
If the jury reach a verdict that Mr Greene is not guilty then the other three accused must be acquitted, he outlined.
The jury can return three verdicts in relation to the murder charge against Mr Greene, namely; guilty of murder, not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter or not guilty.
There are three verdicts the jury can return in relation to Louise O'Connor, Stephanie O'Connor and Keith Johnston impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Mr Greene, knowing or believing him to have committed an arrestable offence. These are: not guilty, guilty of knowing that Mr Greene had committed murder or in the alternative, guilty of knowing that Mr Greene had committed manslaughter.
He told the jurors that they may find it useful to firstly consider the case against Mr Greene and then move onto the separate trials of his three co-accused, who are charged with impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Mr Greene. "It is a matter for you as to how you conduct your business," he said, adding that the exhibits in the case will be made available to them.
The judge also told the jurors that if a verdict is reached on any count then they should enter that count in the box on the issue paper.
Mr Justice McDermott said the jury must be unanimous in their decision in respect of the four counts before sending them away to begin deliberations at 3.15pm.
The jury of six men and five women returned at 4.53pm this evening and the judge told them that he had a number of appropriate things to say to them.
Mr Justice McDermott asked the jury to come back at 10.30am tomorrow morning to continue their deliberations.
Mr Greene has given two accounts of Mrs O'Connor's death. In an interview with gardaí in June 2017, Mr Greene said he was in the bathroom when Mrs O’Connor walked in and hit him with a hurl on the wrist, saying: "Get out, Get out". Mr Greene said he grabbed the hurl from her, hit her and did not know what happened next as when he woke up there was blood everywhere and he panicked.
The trial has heard that six months after he was charged with her murder, Mr Greene changed his account of killing and dismembering his partner's mother. He told gardaí in December 2017 that he had taken “the rap” and felt he was being set-up, as his girlfriend Louise O'Connor subsequently started going back out with her ex-boyfriend Mr Johnston.
Mr Greene also told detectives in his December interview that Mrs O’Connor attacked him with a hurley. However, he said Mrs O'Connor's husband, Augustine 'Gus' O’Connor, came into the bathroom after he fell to the ground and admonished his wife saying: “What the fuck are you doing?”
Mr Greene told detectives that Mr O'Connor had killed his wife using a crowbar and he [Mr Greene] had taken the blame.
Mother-of-five Louise O'Connor has pleaded not guilty to agreeing to or acquiescing in her daughter Stephanie O'Connor disguising herself as Patricia O'Connor at Mountainview Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 on May 29, 2017 in order to conceal the fact that Patricia O'Connor was dead.
Stephanie O'Connor has pleaded not guilty to disguising herself as Mrs O'Connor at Mountainview Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 at a point in time after her murder on May 29, 2017, in order to conceal the fact that she was already dead.
Mr Johnston has pleaded not guilty to assisting Mr Greene in the purchase of various implements at Woodie's, Mr Price, B&Q and Shoe Zone, Tallaght, Dublin 24 on June 9, 2017, which were to be used in the concealment of the remains of Mrs O'Connor.
