Plumber Anthony Campbell, who was gunned down while at work in a north Dublin house, had both of his arms raised in a defensive posture when he was murdered, according to the findings of a post mortem.
The apprentice plumber (20) was working on radiators at 8 Scribblestown Park, Finglas when gunmen entered the home, where a niece of criminal Martin “Marlo” Hyland’s lived, on the morning of December 12th, 2006.
The gunmen shot both Mr Campbell and Hyland, who was in bed in an upstairs room.
Hyland, who had been staying with his niece and her partner for three months, was concerned about threats on his life at the time, was refusing to answer the door to anyone.
He had a Samurai sword with him wherever he was in the house, an inquest at Dublin County Coroner's Court heard.
Detective Inspector Kieran McEneaney told an inquest into the double murders that
Mr Campbell was killed to eliminate any risk of Hyland's killers being identified at a later date.
"Sinister criminal elements of a serious criminal persuasion were involved in the deliberate and violent murder of Martin Hyland and in the ruthless taking of the young life of Anthony Campbell," he said.
Coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty said Mr Campbell was a "hard-working and innocent young man who was callously and brutally murdered."
He described Hyland’s killing as “very brutal.”
A jury at the inquest returned two separate verdicts of death by unlawful killing.
The plumber's mother, Christine Campbell, said after the inquest that the family was "absolutely devastated."
"I can't even put it into words," she said outside the court.