The jury in the trial of a 23-year-old man accused of murdering Cameron Reilly, whose body was found in a field in Dunleer, Co Louth four years ago, will continue their deliberations for a third day on Thursday.
Aaron Connolly, Willistown, Drumcar has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Reilly (18) at Shamrock Hill, Dunleer on May 26th, 2018.
The teenager’s body was found in a field by a man out walking his dog on the morning of May 26th.
The jury at the Central Criminal Court returned briefly before lunch on Wednesday to tell the court they were having technical difficulties viewing CCTV footage. Provisions were made to provide an alternative means of viewing the footage.
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Shortly before they broke for the day, the jury requested transcripts from witnesses who gave evidence in the case, including Jean Lynch and Dr Alan Moore.
The trial heard that Jean Lynch, a neighbour of the man who found Mr Reilly’s body, attended the scene and initiated CPR on Mr Reilly shortly after his body was found in a field at Shamrock Hill.
Dr Alan Moran pronounced the 18-year-old dead at the scene.
Mr Justice Tony Hunt told the jury the transcripts will be made available to them in the morning.
Sending them home just after 4pm today on Wednesday, Mr Justice Hunt told the jury: “Take a rest from your deliberations, don’t discuss them with anyone outside your number”.
The jury have been deliberating for a total of seven hours and 28 minutes.
During the trial, the court heard that in his initial statement to gardaí, Mr Connolly said he and Mr Reilly went in different directions at the end of the night and after the pair parted he “never looked back” to see which way Cameron went.
Last week lawyers for Mr Connolly told the court the accused had oral sex with Mr Reilly on the night he was killed.
Counsel for the defence, Michael Bowman SC made a proof by formal admission to the court on behalf of Mr Connolly.
He said Aaron Connolly performed oral sex on Cameron Reilly and when he left, Mr Reilly was still alive and standing up.
In his garda interviews, Mr Connolly said he could not remember what he was doing during a “missing hour” on the night Cameron Reilly died violently as he had taken a combination of drugs that made him blackout.
He denied that anything sexual happened between him and Mr Reilly and told gardaí he was “straight” and had never experimented sexually.
In his closing statement to the jury, prosecuting counsel Dean Kelly SC contended Aaron Connolly had “lied from the beginning of this investigation to the end” because he murdered his friend.
He said the “constant fox-like evolution” of the lies told by Mr Connolly rebuts the suggestion that a young person might lie to protect his personal sexual preferences. He contended that “rationality, reason and intelligence” permits only one verdict in this case and that is guilty of murder.
In his closing statement to the jury, Michael Bowman SC defending, said “strategic lies” were told by several young people who were there on the night. He said people had lied about drug and alcohol use in a murder trial because they were afraid.
“Strategic lies are being told. I’m going to ask you to juxtapose them to show that in circumstances like that telling the truth can be difficult,” he said.
Mr Bowman told the jury: “The law says the mere fact that the defendant lies is not evidence enough. They may lie out of panic and confusion; they may lie because they’re afraid for all sorts of reasons.”
He said if this case reduces itself to the propositions advanced by Mr Kelly, then the only verdict is not guilty.
In his charge to the jury, Mr Justice Tony Hunt told the seven women and five men that they must be unanimous in whatever decision they reach.
He said the defence contends that sexual intimacy took place between Aaron Connolly and Cameron Reilly in the field and when Mr Connolly left, Cameron Reilly was alive and well. He said the first part is accepted and told the jury that if after careful examination and scrutiny they think it is reasonably possible the second part is true then they must acquit.
Mr Justice Hunt said the prosecution case is that the sex, the DNA evidence and the lies are not a matter of coincidence but are all interlinked.
He said proof beyond reasonable doubt is required and if the jury believe the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, then they should find Aaron Connolly guilty of murder.
The jury will recommence their deliberations at 10.30am on Thursday.