Murder accused ‘slapped’ by 7ft 5in man he allegedly killed

A 7ft 5in man who was allegedly murdered at a house in Co Kerry had slapped the accused prior to him being found with serious injuries at a drinking session, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

Dimitry Hrynkevich (24), who moved to Killarney in 2002 from Russia, sustained serious injuries to his head and body in a house at Killeen Woods, Tralee, on September 30th, 2015. He died two days later at University Hospital Kerry.

Arnoldas Ivanauskas (33), a Lithuanian national with an address at The Parklands, Tralee, denies murdering Mr Hrynkevich. The trial, sitting before a jury in Limerick, heard that Mr Ivanauskas allegedly acted with another man, not before the courts, in a joint enterprise to murder him.

Niall O’Connell, a native of Dawson’s Avenue, Killarney, who lived at the house in Killeen Woods, told the court the accused, the deceased and another man were “knocking back” gin and drinking beer in the property. Mr O’Connell said Mr Hrynkevich became “a bit loud” and “hit” the accused.

“It was an aggressive slap. It’s not an uncommon thing to do, that if someone hits you a slap, you retaliate,” he said.

He said the accused then “got aggressive” and he and Mr Hrynkevich started to fight and “ended up in the kitchen”. Mr O’Connell said he “heard banging and slapping” but he remained in the front room.

He said Mr Ivanauskas came back to the front room and kicked him in his face, and he then retired to his own bedroom upstairs and “locked” the door.

Mr O’Connell said he phoned the emergency services from his room because someone was banging on his door, and said he had seen people “going through the building with knives”.

‘Snapped’

When he eventually left his room, he found Mr Hrynkevich lying on his back outside the front of the house with his neck resting on a step. Mr O’Connell said he was still breathing but his neck looked like it was “snapped”. The witness said the accused and the other man “were gone”.

Under cross examination from Mark Nicholas, counsel for the accused, Mr O’Connell said he made a complaint about the deceased to the manager of the building, claiming he had stolen his wallet containing €90.

The court has heard that the deceased has an “underlying medical condition” called Marfan Syndrome, which can cause “elongated” limbs.

Prosecution counsel Roisin Lacey said those with the condition “have a tendency to have cardiac problems” and while in his teens, Mr Hrynkevich had surgery to replace “an aortic valve” in his heart. A postmortem concluded the valve was in proper working condition at the time he died.

The cause of death was recorded as a lack of oxygen to the brain from a heart attack due to Marfan Syndrome, along with contributory causes including blunt force trauma to the head. Mr Hrynkevich sustained bleeds to his brain, fractures to the left side of his skull and cheekbone, a vertical fracture to his Adam’s Apple and bruising and abrasions to his lips, chin, neck and body.

The trial continues.