A man who was messaging women on Tinder just minutes before he stabbed his one-time friend in the neck has been found guilty of murder.
Brandon Gavin (22), of Brookdale Road, Rivervalley, Swords, Co Dublin, was on Wednesday unanimously convicted by a jury of murdering Marius Mamaliga (19) at Forest Court, Swords on the evening of February 23rd, 2023.
The jury had heard that Gavin told gardaí that Mr Mamaliga “came at” him so he defended himself, claiming that he feared for his life as he owed a drug debt of €2,500. Witnesses told the trial that Mr Mamaliga had sold drugs in the past and Gavin owed him money.
The jury, members of which heard that Gavin’s phone had been used to search online for “prison sentence for murder in Ireland” on the day before the stabbing, rejected the defence’s case that the accused had lashed out in fear and was not a murderer.
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At the opening of the trial, counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Ronan Kennedy SC said it was the prosecution’s case that Gavin went to meet his one-time friend armed with a knife. He got into the backseat of Mr Mamaliga’s car and without warning stabbed him in the neck.
Mr Kennedy said the entire incident lasted about 14 seconds. He told the jury that Gavin dropped his mobile phone and two HSE appointment cards in his name in the rear footwell of the car, which were recovered by gardaí during a technical examination.
State pathologist Dr SallyAnn Collis told the jury that, despite medical intervention at the scene, Mr Mamaliga suffered hypoxic brain injury which was caused by the deprivation of oxygen to the brain due to blood loss.
Garda David Durnin gave evidence to Mr Kennedy that on February 23rd, Gavin and his father came to Swords Garda station, where the defendant’s father informed him that his son had been involved in an incident earlier and wished to hand himself in.
The witness said the defendant told him he had stabbed Mr Mamaliga in self-defence because he was in fear for his life as he owed money for drugs.
Witness David Octavian described to the jury the seconds-long window during which a “calm and collected” assailant got into the car he was sitting in, “slowly took out a knife” and stabbed his friend in the neck before fleeing. Asked if he knew Gavin, the witness said: “Yes, we used to hang around together as a group when we were younger. We used to be friends.”
Further evidence was given by Det Garda Kevin Farrell, who said he retrieved data from a phone belonging to Gavin that was found inside Mr Mamaliga’s car following his death.
Det Garda Farrell said that on February 22nd, 2023, at 6.31pm, a little over 24 hours before the fatal incident, the phone was used to search for “prison sentence for murder in Ireland”. He also told the court that the operator of the phone had been using the dating application Tinder on the day of the stabbing.
In his closing speech, Mr Kennedy said there was clear, unambiguous evidence that the stabbing was “planned and premeditated” and that to suggest Gavin was acting in self-defence was “self-serving nonsense”.
After the jury of seven men and five women returned their verdict, Ms Justice Eileen Creedon thanked them for their time and attention during the trial, excusing them from jury service for the next seven years. The matter was adjourned to December 2nd for victim impact statements and sentencing, with Gavin remanded in custody.
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