Teenager pleads not guilty to murder of girl (16) in Tallaght

A Dublin teenager has pleaded not guilty to murdering Melanie McCarthy McNamara (16) in Tallaght almost two years ago.

Daniel McDonnell (19), Brookview Lawns, Tallaght, appeared before the Central Criminal Court yesterday charged with murdering the teenager at Brookview Way.

When arraigned before a packed courtroom, Mr McDonnell pleaded not guilty to her murder on February 8th, 2012.

Mr Justice Paul Carney swore in a jury of six men and six women to hear the trial, which begins this morning and is expected to last a week.

The teenager’s family said she was the mistaken victim of the drive-by shooting. She was hit once on the head and was rushed to hospital but died from severe brain injuries.

She was sitting in the back seat of a parked car with her boyfriend, at Brookview Way, when the shooting took place. Witnesses saw a shotgun appear from the window and two shots were fired into the back of the car before the vehicle sped away.

The jeep was found abandoned on Citywest Road sometime later and a weapon with some clothing was recovered by gardaí.