Murder accused dropped phone and appointment cards at scene of '14 second' stabbing, trial hears
by Ryan Dunne · Irish MirrorA 22-year-old man who has gone on trial for murder dropped his mobile phone and two appointment cards at the scene of a fatal stabbing that lasted just 14 seconds, a jury has heard.
The jury also heard that the accused told gardaí he stabbed the deceased in the neck because he owed a €2,500 drug debt and feared for his life.
“He got into the back seat of the car, in behind the deceased, and suddenly without warning stabbed him in the neck with the intention of killing him or causing him serious injury. This, plain and simple, is murder,” said prosecution counsel, Ronan Kennedy SC at the Central Criminal Court today, opening the trial of Brandon Gavin (22).
Mr Gavin, Brookdale Road, Rivervalley, Swords, is charged with the murder of 19-year-old Marius Mamaliga at Forest Court, Swords, on the evening of February 23, 2023. He has pleaded not guilty.
Opening the State’s case, Mr Kennedy said that the charge of murder arose from the fatal stabbing of the deceased on February 23, with Mr Mamaliga dying from his injuries on February 26.
Mr Kennedy said that the deceased, whose parents were originally from Moldova, was sitting in his car, a black Audi Saloon, with two friends on the evening. Mr Mamaliga was in the driver’s seat with the engine running, when a fourth man, who the prosecution say is the accused, opened the rear passenger door and got into the car, where he reached into the front seat and stabbed the deceased once in the neck before taking flight.
Mr Kennedy said the entire incident lasted approximately 14 seconds. He told the jury that the accused 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 of the vehicle.
He said that Mr Mamaliga’s two friends got out of the car and gave a short chase after the assailant, but they returned to the car when Mr Mamaliga got out of the driver's side and called out that he had been stabbed. Mr Mamaliga collapsed on the ground and fell unconscious in a very short period of time, before he received assistance at the scene by passersby, including an off-duty paramedic.
Mr Kennedy said that, unfortunately, Mr Mamaliga never recovered. He was taken to Beaumont Hospital in critical condition and underwent surgery, having sustained damage to his left carotid artery and jugular vein. On February 26, he was pronounced dead, with a post-mortem carried out by State pathologist Dr SallyAnne Collis determining that the cause of death was complications from a stab wound to the neck.
Mr Kennedy told the jury that during the investigation, gardai harvested CCTV footage that showed the accused left his home 45 minutes before the stabbing and returned home approximately six minutes after. He said the accused later attended the garda station with his father, saying that he wished to hand himself in about an incident that had occurred in Swords. Mr Kennedy said that after being cautioned, the accused told gardaí: “He came at me. I defended myself. I stabbed him.”
The accused was arrested for the offence of causing serious harm, as at that stage Mr Mamaliga had not succumbed to his injuries. Mr Kennedy said the accused later told gardaí that he stabbed Mr Mamaliga in self defence, as he was in fear for his life because he owed money for drugs.
Mr Kennedy told the court that the accused made further unsolicited admissions to gardai in which he said he owed €2,500 for marijuana and did not have the money to pay it back. The accused also said he panicked after the stabbing, telling gardaí that he threw away the knife. Mr Kennedy said that the knife was subsequently recovered, adding that it was the prosecution case that the accused‘s DNA was on the handle of the knife, while the deceased’s blood was also on the weapon.
“In summary, the prosecution case is that Mr Gavin went to meet with the deceased armed with a knife, with the intention to kill him or cause him serious harm; that he got into the back seat of the car, in behind the deceased, and suddenly without warning stabbed him in the neck with the intention of killing him or causing him serious injury. This, plain and simple, is murder,” said Mr Kennedy.
The trial continues tomorrow before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and the jury of seven men and five women.
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