Man charged with Kerry murders denies wanting to get rid of bloody shoes

A 28-year-old Lithuanian man charged with murdering a mother and her young daughter repeatedly denied killing them in interviews with gardaí after his arrest on June 27th, 2013.

Aurimas Andruska, of Ardmoniel Heights, Killorglin, Co Kerry, also denied wanting to get rid of shoes he was wearing at the time because they were covered in blood.

The Central Criminal Court had previously been told during his trial that the accused had shoes with soles that matched bloodied footprints found in the home of the victims.

Mr Andruska has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jolanta Lubiene (27) and her daughter Enrika (8) at their home at Langford Downs, Killorglin, between June 14th and 16th, 2013.

In interviews with detectives following his arrest on June 27th, Mr Andruska said he had borrowed two pairs of shoes on the weekend of the murders because his own were damaged and he was going to a party.

At the trial in Tralee today, gardaí gave evidence of taking notes of interviews with the accused at Killarney Garda station after his arrest. Mr Andruska said he did not know where the damaged shoes were and that he had thrown them away.

As questioning continued, he said the shoes might still be around and that he had put them into a plastic bag in the kitchen of the house he shared with two other men.

He said he did not move the shoes and did not know if the other men had moved them. On several occasions during the interviews, the accused denied the murders.

The trial is continuing before Judge Patrick McCarthy and a jury.