Jury considers verdict in Co Louth double murder trial

The jury has begun deliberating in the trial of a 34-year-old Dubliner charged with murdering two men who were on their way to sell him a car they had stolen.

Jason O'Driscoll, with an address at Richmond Avenue, Fairview, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Anthony Burnett (31) and 25-year-old Joseph Redmond in Co. Louth on March 7th, 2012.

The Central Criminal Court trial has heard that firefighters were called to a burning car in Ravensdale Forest Park shortly before 11pm that night. Two bodies were discovered inside, with gunshot wounds to their heads.

The six-week trial heard that they had left their homes to travel north to sell Mr O’Driscoll a Volkswagen Golf they had stolen in Sandymount that morning.

It is the State’s case that the accused had attended and participated in their murder at Ravensdale.

However, the defence has raised the possibility that another person was responsible or that one of the deceased had betrayed the other, leading to someone else shooting them dead in the stolen car.

Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy began charging the seven men and five women of the jury on Thursday.

He sent them out to begin deliberations on Tuesday morning, telling them that their verdict must be unanimous.

They spent the day in the jury room considering their verdict before being sent home for the evening. They will resume deliberations on Wednesday morning.