Closing arguments have been heard in the trial of a Barefield man accused of the murder of an Ennis student two years ago.
Joe Heffernan, of Cappagh Beg, Barefield, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 21 year old Eoin Ryan.
Addressing the jury, prosecuting counsel Bernard Condon alleged the issue of homosexuality was the motive behind Joe Heffernan’s killing of Eoin Ryan on June 7, 2011.T
The trial at the Central Criminal Court had previously heard that the pair met in an Ennis pub the night before, and that the next morning Joe Heffernan rang Gardai to say he had killed a man who he repeatedly referred to as the Devil.
Mr. Condon said the accused knew of Mr Ryan’s sexual orientation from the time he met him hours earlier. He pointed to Mr Heffernan’s ‘abhorrence’ that he might be homosexual, and reminded the jury that one of the first things the accused told Gardaí was that he was not gay.
Defending counsel Patrick Gageby suggested that either a mental disorder or intoxication had caused his client to see the devil. Pointing out that a psychiatrist who examined Joe Heffernan after his arrest said he was suffering from a psychotic disorder, he argued the killing was not rational, and called for a manslaughter verdict.
Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy will charge the jury of seven women and five men on Monday.
