TWO MEN HAVE been convicted of murdering a 64-year-old in his home, by unanimous jury verdicts at the Central Criminal Court.
Sean Davy (21), of Clonmullen Drive, Edenderry, Co Offaly and James Davy (25), of Thornhill Meadows, Celbridge, Co Kildare had pleaded not guilty to murdering Thomas ‘Toddy’ Dooley at Sr Senan Court in Edenderry on 12 February 2014.
A third man, Matthew Cummins (22), of Churchview Heights in Edenderry has pleaded not guilty and the jury will consider its verdict in relation to him tomorrow.
At 4.33pm today the eight men and four women returned after just over eight hours of deliberations.
The foreman confirmed that they had reached a verdict against two of the accused, which the registrar read out as “guilty”.
Justice Margaret Heneghan asked the jury not to speak to anyone else about the case and to return tomorrow morning to further consider a verdict in relation to Cummins.
Justice Heneghan has previously told the jury that there are four verdicts open to them.
They could find Cummins guilty of murder, or not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter, or not guilty of murder but guilty of impeding the apprehension of an offender, or not guilty.
She told them that the verdict of not guilty was “theoretical” and would not be logical given the evidence heard during the three-week trial.
The trial heard that the three men got into the 64-year-old’s home through a window at about 5.30am on a cold February morning.
The victim, who was used to having young visitors at irregular hours, drank with them for a time but was then beaten to death with a baseball bat.
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