A Dublin man told gardaí he stabbed a man to death outside his home to protect his property and his family. The jury in his trial will be asked to decide whether his actions amounted to murder.
Patricia McLaughlin SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, opened the trial of Patrick Murphy (37), of Drumcairn Parade, Tallaght, on Thursday morning.
He admits stabbing 20-year-old Jordan Ronan and causing his death but has pleaded not guilty to his murder.
Ms McLaughlin told the jury of five women and seven men that Ronan suffered a single fatal stab wound to the chest in the early hours of the morning on July 26th, 2024.
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Mr Ronan had spent the earlier part of the night chatting with two friends in a car, counsel said. His friends will say that Ronan was intoxicated and one of them offered to put Ronan up for the night, she said.
However, as they walked Ronan fell behind while his friend continued home. Shortly after that, a man living on Drumcairn Avenue was at his bedroom window smoking a cigarette when he saw Ronan running past his house, looking behind him. Ronan ran into a lamp-post and immediately fell to the ground, Ms McLaughlin said.
The householder and his wife went to assist and found the deceased lying flat on his back with his eyes open. They called 999 and attempted resuscitation until paramedics arrived.
When paramedics subsequently cut open Ronan’s shirt, they saw that he was bleeding heavily from a stab wound to his chest. An ambulance took Ronan to Tallaght Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 4.40am.
Gardaí nominated Mr Murphy as a suspect that morning and arrested him on suspicion of murder.
Ms McLaughlin told the jury that during his detention, Mr Murphy admitted that he had stabbed Jordan Ronan, saying he did so either to protect his family or his property.
Ms McLaughlin said the manner of Ronan’s death is not the issue in the case. The issue, she said, is Mr Murphy’s intention when he stabbed the deceased.
Following the opening speech, Ronan Kennedy SC, for Mr Murphy, made 10 admissions on behalf of his client. He accepted Mr Ronan died from a single stab wound to the chest, inflicted by Mr Murphy using a knife. He also accepted that a Revolut card found in the possession of the deceased belonged to Mr Murphy and had been taken from Mr Murphy’s van, which was parked in his driveway.
Among Thursday’s first witnesses were the two friends who had been with Ronan before he died. Rhys Murphy told Ms McLaughlin the deceased had called to his house at about 2am and they sat in a car in the garden, “chilling and smoking weed” until about 3.15am.
Ronan was in “good humour, he was always in good humour,” the witness said, and had been drinking earlier.
The second friend, John Green, said he offered to let Ronan stay at his house so they got out of the car and started walking. He said Ronan kept going into gardens along the route so Mr Green “roared at him” and told him to follow. The witness arrived home and waited but Ronan did not show up.
Under cross-examination, Mr Green told Mr Kennedy, defending, that as he walked with Ronan, the deceased walked up to cars parked in gardens and then walked back out. He said he didn’t know why Ronan was walking up to the cars.
He said he had left Ronan before he reached the house at Drumcairn Parade where Mr Murphy lived with his wife and children.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo.
