The trial of a man charged with the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe seven years ago is set to commence on Tuesday after a 15-person jury was sworn in at the Central Criminal Court.
Aaron Brady, 28, from County Armagh, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Donohoe, who was fatally shot during a Credit Union robbery in County Louth on Jan. 25, 2013.
Mr. Brady is also charged with the robbery of €7,000 in cash and assorted cheques from the Lordship Credit Union in Bellurgan on the date in question.
He pleaded not guilty to both charges in the Central Criminal Court on Monday morning.
Mr. Justice Michael White, who will preside over the trial, said that he expects the court case to be lengthy and that it should be concluded by May 28.
The judge said that the trial will break for two weeks at Easter and will also break for St Patrick's Day. He believes there will also be breaks to deal with legal matters that the jury cannot be present for.
Mr. White also said that any juror from Carlingford, Newry, or South Armagh should not serve during the trial as witnesses come from those areas.
The judge implored the jury to remain impartial and avoid social media or internet material related to the court case. In addition, he explained that, while 15 jurors were selected, only 12 would partake in the final deliberations.
The murder of Adrian Donohoe attained public infamy in 2013 as it was the first time a Garda had been shot dead in the line of duty since 1996.
Read more: Co Armagh man charged with murder of cop Adrian Donohoe after US manhunt
Donohoe, along with his colleague Detective Garda Joe Ryan, was on a routine cash escort on the night of his murder. The two men were driving an unmarked Garda car and parked in the parking lot of Lordship Credit Union in order to accompany credit union officials as they made bank deposits.
While the gardai were parked, five men in balaclavas blocked the entrance to the parking lot and approached the car. When Donohoe got out of the car to investigate the blocked entrance, he was shot in the back of the head from close range with a long-barrelled shotgun. He died almost instantly.
His colleague was left unharmed as the men made off with approximately €7,000 in stolen cash and cheques.
Mr. Brady was arrested in March 2018 and charged with Donohoe's murder. If found guilty, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Comments