Murder accused ‘boasted’ about shooting Melanie McCarthy McNamara

A jury has been told the teenager charged with murdering 16-year-old Melanie McCarthy McNamara allegedly bragged about shooting her in graffiti on his cell wall.

Brendan Grehan, prosecuting, told the court that while being investigated over the killing two years ago, Daniel McDonnell wrote on his cell wall: “Two in the head. Your bitch is dead.”

Mr McDonnell (19), of Brookview Lawns, Tallaght, Dublin, went on trial at the Central Criminal Court yesterday, charged with murdering the teenager.

She was shot in the head as she sat in the back seat of a car at Brookview Way in Tallaght, on February 8th, 2012.

Mr McDonnell has pleaded not guilty.

Interpretation

Mr Grehan said the case against Mr McDonnell revolved around the interpretation of what he wrote on his cell wall along with the contents of two letters he handed to a prison officer for posting weeks later.

The accused was arrested about a week after the shooting and was detained for a number of days at Tallaght Garda station, where he occupied a cell on his own.

Mr Grehan said gardaí noticed various pieces of graffiti written on his cell wall, including his name, initials and references the prosecution claims could refer only to Melanie’s murder.

They included “Moran scummy knacker” and “Moran Scum”, which the prosecution says refer to Ms McNamara’s boyfriend, Christopher Moran, who was sitting in front of Melanie when she was shot.

“I’ll do 25 on D to life, while you’re crying Pikey,” continued the graffiti.

Sobbing could be heard in court when Mr Grehan read out the last line: “Two in the head. Your bitch is dead.”

Mr Grehan said the scene then moved to St Patrick’s Institution, the prison to which the accused was taken on February 21st, where he was again held in a cell on his own on B3 landing.

Mr Grehan said that, on March 5th, the accused presented a prison officer with two letters to be posted. He said they were in envelopes but not sealed and the prison officer read them before passing them on to his superior. They were then passed to gardaí.

Mr Grehan read extracts he said were particularly relevant, first from a letter addressed to a Lee McDonnell.

“Keep running all them up on to protection because this war ain’t stopping. Take my word for it. Close-range head shots. That’s what I’m going for. If I get High Court bail I swear on my whole family, them four will be in the ground. I ran CM with his head up his arse,” read Mr Grehan.

"Two in the head. The bitch is dead. The silly mother f**k pulled out a hammer. Little did he know I had a loaded 12-gauge. Left his bitch all over the Sunday World front page," he continued.

“I’ll never forget that mug. Ha ha. The best night of my life. We’ll make a few plans. Soon enough we’ll be running Tallaght. Bunch of bitches up there.

"Show them the McDonnells run the show. McDonnell boys running the kip. Ha Ha," the letter ended.

Girlfriend

The second letter was addressed to Stephanie Tuite, whom Mr Grehan said appeared to be a former girlfriend of the accused.

“I never thought it would turn out like this. I feel like a scumbag. I don’t feel it. I am one. I don’t know what got into my head,” Mr Grehan read to the court.

“That weed shit f**ked me up. I’m sitting in my cell on 23-hour lock-up. I’m thinking of the good times I had with you. Love, the one and only Dano McDonnell. The MC will be back with a whack.

“One more thing. That other thing wouldn’t have happened if I had known she was in the car.

“It was meant for the other smell bag. He won’t get away with bullying my ma. What goes around f**king comes around. I’m the only one who stuck it back up to them. B3 for life. F**k it. Love you baby girl no matter what happened. I’ll never forget him roaring like a girl crying. Bang bang,” the letter concluded.

The driver of the car in which Melanie was shot then testified a jeep pulled up beside his car as he sat in it with Melanie and her boyfriend.

“The back driver’s window was down and a shot was discharged,” Seán Byrne told the court. He said he and Mr Moran didn’t realise Melanie had been shot until he drove away.

“We were asking was everything okay,” he recalled. “Melanie didn’t reply. She was lying down across the seats. She was choking.”

He said they drove to Tallaght hospital, where Melanie was pronounced dead.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul Carney and a jury of six men and six women.