A fingerprint of a murder victim's wife was found on a refuse sack lying next to another sack containing pieces of his skull, a court was told yesterday. Evidence was given that there were no fingerprints on the sack containing the skull fragments.
The Central Criminal Court was hearing evidence in the trial of Ms Anna Maria Sacco (21), who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of her husband, Franco Sacco (29), at their home at Coolamber Park, Templeogue, Dublin, on March 20th, 1997.
Evidence before the jury resumed yesterday after five days of what Mr Justice O'Higgins described as "very intense legal argument".
Det Garda David Sheridan, of the fingerprints section of the Garda Technical Bureau, told Mr Peter Charleton SC, prosecuting, that he examined the scene of the killing on March 21st and 22nd and again on the 25th.
On March 25th he removed two black plastic refuse sacks from the main bedroom, where Mr Sacco's body had been found. One had been torn and two pieces of skull fragment lay inside it. The other was intact and unused.
He compared the fingermark found on the sack with prints he had obtained from Ms Anna Maria Sacco. The comparison left him "in no doubt" that the fingermark on the bag was made by the left thumb impression of Ms Sacco.
Det Garda Sheridan agreed with Mr Barry White SC, defending, that in any person's house you would expect to find their fingerprints on many items.
Witness agreed that the black bag produced in court was now in "a rather crumpled state". It had not been so when he put it in the Garda evidence bag, he said. There were a number of marks on the other bag, but he said they did not have "the required number of characteristics for production in court". Mr White said they were unusable in court. The detective said he would be satisfied with them, but Mr White said they were not proper evidence. i attached to Rathfarnham station at the time of the killing gave evidence that they had preserved the scene of the crime. No unauthorised person had gained access to it.
Garda Seamus Delaney, of Rathfarnham station, said he saw a white Ford Fiesta van reversing out of the driveway of the Sacco house in Coolamber Park at 11.30 a.m. on the morning of Mr Sacco's death. When it was three or four yards ahead of him he spotted the accused woman in the driver's seat, whom he knew from buying takeaways at Luigi's chip shop in Rathfarnham village. He saluted her and she drove out from the estate towards the main road.
Garda David Harrington said that on Friday March 21st he was travelling back from Loughlinstown Hospital with some people, including the sister of the accused woman, Ms Giovanna (otherwise Joanna) Paolucci. They had been at the hospital to identify Mr Sacco's body.
As they passed the Texaco station on the Rathfarnham road at 5.20 p.m. he saw two mopeds being washed there. One of the two people with the mopeds was a woman. The two mopeds arrived in Rathfarnham village shortly afterwards and one of the drivers drew up to the car in which he was travelling and spoke to Giovanna Paolucci.
Insp Gerard O'Carroll told the court that on March 23rd, 1997 he went to Ms Sacco's parents' home at Ravensdale Park, Kimmage. Ms Sacco's father, Luigi, opened the door and a search was carried out for 40 minutes. He arrested Ms Sacco under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act for the unlawful possession of firearms at Coolamber Park on the day her husband was killed.
The trial continues next Monday.