A Limerick man has been jailed for life after he murdered his partner's ex-boyfriend by cutting his throat and jumping on his head.
David Martin O'Brien (33), who lived in Mill Court, Mill Lane, Drogheda, Co Louth, pleaded guilty yesterday at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin to the murder of Martin Murray (38).
O'Brien believed his girlfriend was trying to re-establish her relationship with Mr Murray and he stabbed him. Mr Murray fell down the steps leading to the apartment.
O'Brien followed Mr Murray with a knife, cut his throat and then stamped on his head. He left a knife embedded in his victim's shoulder.
Insp Mick Cowley agreed with Niall Durnin SC, prosecuting, that when gardaí arrived at the scene they found Mr Murray's body covered in blood to the extent that he was not recognisable.
A knife was embedded in his left shoulder and there was a trail of blood leading to apartment number 5, Mill Court, where O'Brien lived. Blood was found on his door and in other areas of the apartment, but he initially denied any knowledge of the killing.
O'Brien subsequently said that Mr Murray had fallen down some steps and that the knife had broken off in his shoulder.
The victim had received eight stab wounds, the most serious of which were to the throat. He also had a number of stab wounds to his chest.
Insp Cowley said O'Brien had consumed "quite a considerable amount of alcohol and possibly some cannabis as well". He was in the flat with his partner of some years and they had ended their relationship. She was taken by ambulance to hospital.
O'Brien has previous convictions for theft, robbery, aggravated burglary, attempted burglary and for offences under the forgery Act.
The father, brother and sister of the deceased were in court for the sentence hearing but did not wish to give evidence.
Mr Murray's father, Francis, was still very upset as he had been told of the death after a neighbour shouted over the wall of his back garden that a body had been found.
The neighbours presumed that it was Mr Murray's body, from where it had been found, but gardaí were not able to give him information because the body had not been identified. Two of Mr Murray's sisters could not bring themselves to attend court.
Patrick Gageby SC, for O'Brien, said his client had been in custody since August 10th, 2004. Mr Justice Paul Carney sentenced him to mandatory life imprisonment, backdated to that date.