The wife of a man who was shot dead in the foothills of the Dublin mountains in 2002 has said after an inquest into his death that her husband was not linked to republican paramilitary activity.
Dublin County Coroner's Court heard yesterday that Stephen Byrne (39), a father of two, Inchicore, Dublin, died almost instantly after he received a single gunshot wound to the head on November 24th, 2002. He had just left a pub telling his wife he would be back in 15 minutes, the court heard.
A jury returned a verdict of death by unlawful killing by person(s) unknown.
Outside court, Bernadette Byrne said that media reports linking her husband to republican paramilitary activity were false. She "didn't always know who he was drinking with" but she did not believe he had any enemies.
Det Garda John Stack had told the inquest that no one had been charged in relation to Mr Byrne's death. Mrs Byrne said she would never get closure until gardaí found her husband's murderer. "I am hopeful that they will find the person who did it."
The inquest heard that Mr Byrne had been drinking in a pub in Inchicore with his wife and a friend when he suddenly got up to leave. "He said to me 'I'll be back in 15 minutes'. It was unusual for him to leave me on my own. He never did that before.
"I asked him who he was going to meet and he said, 'it doesn't matter, you don't know him'. That was the last time I saw him."
She was not aware of any threats made against him but in the weeks leading up to his death. he had been acting "very jumpy".
Det Garda Stack told the court that a man referred to as Mr A had left the pub in Inchicore with Mr Byrne upon his wife's insistence but told gardaí the two went in separate directions just after leaving the pub at about 9.15pm. Mrs Byrne texted Mr A when they failed to return a couple of hours later and he texted her back, saying: "He met a bloke and f***ed off on me, the langer."
Det Garda Stack told the court a single gunshot was heard at 10.30pm by a resident living near Ballinascorney Woods, where Mr Byrne's body was discovered the next morning by hill walkers.
State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy told the inquest Mr Byrne had a high level of alcohol in his system at the time of death, which may have "clouded his judgment and made him unable to react".