Murder of Ashling Murphy

Murder of Ashling Murphy
Murphy on her graduation from Mary Immaculate College, 2021
Date12 January 2022 (2022-01-12)
Time3:21 p.m. (GMT)
LocationTullamore, County Offaly, Ireland
Coordinates53°16′43″N 7°28′48″W / 53.27868°N 7.48010°W / 53.27868; -7.48010
ConvictedJozef Puška
TrialCentral Criminal Court, Dublin, 16 October – 9 November 2023
SentenceLife imprisonment

Ashling Murphy (6 July 1998 – 12 January 2022) was an Irish primary school teacher, traditional Irish musician and camogie player who was murdered in January 2022 while walking on the towpath of the Grand Canal at Cappincur, outside Tullamore, County Offaly. Her death gave rise to widespread public outrage over violence against women, and tens of thousands of people attended vigils in her memory. The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, and other Irish government ministers attended her funeral in Mountbolus, County Offaly, on 18 January.

In the days following Murphy's death, the Gardaí (Irish police) questioned 31-year-old Slovak Romani father-of-five Jozef Puška, who was subsequently arrested and charged with her murder. On 9 November 2023, following a three-week trial at Dublin's Central Criminal Court, a jury found Puška guilty by unanimous verdict. The jury heard that he had stabbed Murphy 11 times in the neck, causing her to die from cardio-respiratory arrest following acute blood loss. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. His wife, two of his brothers, and their wives—all Slovakian nationals in their 30s—face charges of withholding information relating to the murder investigation or with impeding an arrest. The trials of all five will begin at the Central Criminal Court in April 2025.

Murphy's family subsequently established the Ashling Murphy Memorial Fund, a registered charity that supports the traditional Irish arts, culture, and heritage for young people. Her alma mater, Mary Immaculate College, and the Irish National Teachers' Organisation jointly established an educational scholarship in her name. Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann also established memorial scholarships, and the Camogie Association renamed championship trophies in her memory. A permanent memorial has been constructed at the site of her murder.

Murder[edit]

Background[edit]

Born on 6 July 1998 in Blue Ball near Tullamore, County Offaly,[1] Ashling Murphy was the youngest child of Raymond and Kathleen Murphy; she had two siblings, a brother Cathal and a sister Amy.[2][3][4] From 2011 to 2017, she studied at Sacred Heart School, a girls' Catholic secondary school in Tullamore, before attending Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, from which she graduated in October 2021 with a Bachelor of Education degree in Primary Teaching.[5] In March 2021, she began working as a substitute teacher at Scoil Naomh Colmcille, a primary school in Durrow, County Offaly. She secured a full-time position at the school, beginning in September 2021, where she taught first-class pupils.[6][7]

Murphy came from a musical family; her parents and siblings all played traditional Irish music, and her father had performed with The Fureys and with the band Best Foot Forward.[3] Murphy herself had played the fiddle and tin whistle since childhood, had begun learning the uilleann pipes, and had performed around the country with the national orchestra of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. Regarded as a talented fiddle player, she had featured at traditional music festivals and gave private music lessons at her family home.[4][8][9] She played camogie for her local Kilcormac–Killoughey GAA club and had represented Mary Immaculate College at collegiate level.[10][11] She and her boyfriend, Ryan Casey, had been in a relationship for over five years and had planned to marry.[12]

Murphy's death[edit]

On 12 January 2022, the day of the murder, Murphy finished work at Scoil Naomh Colmcille, Durrow‍—  approximately 8 km (5.0 mi) northwest of Tullamore‍—  at 2:30 p.m. She was captured on CCTV at 2:37 p.m. walking to her car, a red SEAT Córdoba,[13] in which she drove via the N52 to the Daingean Road car park, close to the Grand Canal.[14][15] She left the car park on foot, wearing a navy jacket, navy leggings, a Kilcormac–Killoughey GAA camogie top, a white T-shirt, a gray scarf, blue Nike runners, and a pink woolen hat with a brown bobble. She also wore a ring, sunglasses, a gold necklace bearing the name "Ashling", and a Fitbit Versa 3 smartwatch with an activity tracker linked to her smartphone.[16][17][18][19] Geolocation and activity data retrieved from her devices showed that she began walking at 2:51 p.m., headed westward over a bridge, and then continued eastward along the canal, in the direction of Digby Bridge. She was last captured on CCTV at 2:55 p.m.[20]

The Grand Canal in Tullamore, near where Murphy was killed.

Geolocation data from Murphy's devices showed that she crossed Digby Bridge at 3:16 p.m., having walked around 3 km (1.9 mi), and then headed westward back towards the Daingean Road car park.[19] At 3:21 p.m., her activity tracker began recording erratic fluctuations consistent with a violent attack. Her attacker is believed to have overpowered her and dragged her off the towpath into an adjacent steep ditch filled with briars, where he stabbed her repeatedly in the neck with a serrated knife.[21][22] The activity tracker recorded her heart rate decreasing rapidly until 3:27 p.m. and ceased recording a heartbeat at 3:31 p.m.[23]

Two joggers, Jenna Stack and Aoife Marron, also primary school teachers, witnessed the attack. They later testified that they noticed a mountain bike in a hedge alongside the towpath and heard loud rustling sounds in the ditch beneath. Believing that someone may have fallen off the bike, Marron shouted: "Are you okay? Do you need help?" Stack stepped off the towpath, looked through the hedge into the ditch, and observed a man crouching over a woman and holding her down in the undergrowth. Stack stated that she could not see the woman's upper body, but observed her legs kicking vigorously in a scissors-like motion, which she interpreted as a "cry for help".[24] Stack called out "What are you doing?” and the man shouted "Get away."[25] Believing that the man was attempting to rape the woman, Stack shouted at him to "Get off her" and said she was calling the Gardaí. Stack and Marron then ran for help, as neither was carrying a phone.[26][27]

At Digby Bridge, the women encountered a cyclist and two Waterways Ireland workers.[28] The cyclist, local man Enda Molloy, rode to the location indicated by the women. He noticed the mountain bike in the hedge and discovered Murphy's motionless body on her back in the adjacent ditch, her face covered with matted hair and blood.[14] The Waterways Ireland workers went to the scene on foot. One later testified that he observed Murphy's hand was "snow white," which he took as an indication she was already dead.[28]

Response by emergency services[edit]

Molloy phoned Tullamore Garda Station at 3:34 p.m.[29] Two Gardaí arrived at the scene ten minutes later, and Molloy indicated the location of Murphy's body in the ditch.[17][30] The Gardaí unzipped Murphy's jacket and began efforts to resuscitate her, taking turns doing chest compressions.[30] Paramedic Paul McCabe later testified that he and a colleague received notification of the incident at 3:49 p.m. and arrived at the scene at 3:56 p.m.[31] The paramedics worked with Gardaí to move Murphy's body out of the ditch and onto the canal towpath, to facilitate attempts at resuscitation. McCabe stated that he observed a substantial number of wounds on the right side of Murphy's neck as she was being moved.[31][20]

McCabe testified that he attempted to use a defibrillator after Murphy's body had been placed on the towpath, but a monitor showed that she was in a "non-shockable rhythm" with "no signs of life." From his analysis of her condition‍—  she had no pulse, had pale and cold skin, and had dilated and fixed pupils‍—  McCabe concluded that Murphy was already dead. After a discussion with the other paramedic and the Gardaí, he decided to cease resuscitation efforts and covered her body with a blanket.[32][20][31] The area was declared a crime scene at 5:34 p.m.[33] A Garda and Murphy's brother Cathal identified her body, and she was officially pronounced dead at 5:51 p.m.[34] Members of the Garda Technical Bureau arrived at 7:08 p.m.[33]

Public reactions[edit]

People across Ireland responded with shock and grief to the news of Murphy's murder.[9] In Tullamore, thousands of people attended a vigil in a local park, many carrying flowers and candles.[35] Numerous other vigils took place throughout the country, in locations including Dublin, Galway, Belfast, Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Kilkenny, Navan, Maynooth, Drogheda, Sligo, Ballina, Derry, Omagh, and Armagh.[36][37] Murphy's family attended a candlelit vigil near the murder scene, where her father played her favourite song, "When You Were Sweet Sixteen."[37] Vigils were held internationally in cities including London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Melbourne, Brisbane, Dubai, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.[38][39] Tens of thousands of people were estimated to have attended vigils.[40] The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, expressed his "profound sympathy and sorrow and sense of loss" and paid tribute to Murphy's "short but brilliant and generous life."[41] The Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, said "the entire country is devastated and shocked by the violent and barbaric killing" and said the murder had "united the nation in solidarity and revulsion."[42][43]

Murphy's killing gave rise to widespread anger and outrage over women's safety.[44] Women posted their experiences of gender-related violence and misogyny on social media following Murphy's death, leading to intense online debates.[45] The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, called the killing "every woman and family's worst nightmare" and promised a zero tolerance approach to violence against women.[46][47] She pledged to introduce new laws making stalking and non-fatal strangulation standalone offences under Irish law, to increase state funding for women’s shelters, and to adopt other measures to keep women safe.[44][48] The director of the National Women's Council of Ireland later called the murder a "watershed moment", stating: "Women really felt this was a point of no return."[49] Murphy's death accelerated the implementation of a €363 million, five-year government strategy to address domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence.[49][47][50]

Funeral[edit]

Hundreds of people attended Murphy's wake at her family home near Blue Ball on 16 and 17 January.[51][52] Her Requiem Mass took place at 11:00 a.m. on 18 January at St. Brigid's Church, Mountbolus, County Offaly, with burial afterwards in Lowertown Cemetery, Mountbolus.[53] Large crowds gathered in the village and outside the church.[54] Public figures in attendance included the President of Ireland, the Taoiseach, the Minister for Justice, the Minister for Education, Norma Foley, and the Minister for the Arts, Catherine Martin.[55] Schools and colleges around the country observed a minute's silence at 11:00 a.m. in Murphy's memory.[56] Her former pupils from Scoil Naomh Colmcille formed a guard of honour outside the church, each holding a photograph of her and a red rose.[57] The Kilcormac–Killoughey GAA senior camogie team also formed a guard of honour, while numerous traditional musicians who had been her friends or colleagues played music at the Mass and at her graveside.[58] The Requiem Mass was streamed to the local community centre and to a large screen at the local GAA pitch, and was also streamed over the Internet.[59][60]

At the Requiem Mass, Murphy's cousins did readings and said prayers of the faithful, and her godparents brought to the altar items to symbolise her life, including a musical instrument, a camogie stick and Kilcormac–Killoughey GAA jersey, a family photo, and a schoolbook.[59][61] Calling Murphy "a woman who lived the short years given to her to the full, who developed her talents, who reached out to others, who made a difference, who brought happiness and who was loved", Bishop Tom Deenihan of Meath called her death "a depraved act of violence" but said it had "united the country in grief and support.”[59] In his homily, local parish priest Fr. Michael Meade said: "Together we grieve, we pray, we hurt—this is the heavy price we pay for love." He told Murphy's family that they had "been robbed of [their] most precious gift."[59][57] At her graveside, her boyfriend Ryan Casey said that Murphy "will always be my soulmate" and called her "the greatest love of my life."[61][62] During their royal visit to Ireland in March 2022, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall met with Murphy's family and boyfriend to express their condolences.[63]

Investigation and arrest[edit]

Within two hours of Murphy's murder, Gardaí detained a 40-year-old man,[64][65] based partly on descriptions given by an eyewitness,[66][67] but released him the next day after eliminating him from their investigation.[68] The man spoke to the Irish Independent on 15 January, recounting his experience of being interrogated by Gardaí and describing the online threats he had received since his arrest.[69]

A state pathologist, Dr. Sally Anne Collis, carried out a postmortem examination of Murphy's body at Midlands Regional Hospital, Tullamore on 13 January, the day after the murder.[70] Collis reported examining a 1.61 metre (5 feet 3 inch) tall female, weighing 52.7 kilograms (116 lb),[28] who had sustained 11 stab wounds to the right side of her neck, which had severed her left and right jugular veins and her right carotid artery,[22] as well as damaging her voice box, which would have left her unable to speak or make any intelligible sound.[22][66] Murphy additionally had a longer incised wound across her neck.[22] Although the media had initially reported that Murphy had died from strangulation,[71] Collis confirmed that she died from cardio-respiratory arrest following acute blood loss.[17][72] Collis noted that Murphy had suffered defensive injuries to her hands as well as additional abrasions and bruises to her body.[66][17]

Over the following days, Gardaí announced that they had identified another person of interest, who was reported to be receiving treatment in a Dublin hospital for serious injuries that he could not satisfactorily explain.[73][74] Stating that forensic evidence had led to a breakthrough in the investigation,[73] they requested members of the public to come forward if they had noticed a black and green Falcon Storm mountain bike on the day of the killing,[75] or a man wearing a black tracksuit with a large white stripe or white writing on the bottoms.[74] Gardaí searched properties in County Offaly and Dublin,[73][76] and seized two cars.[77][52] They removed a bottle bank from a recycling location near the crime scene and searched a clothes bank near Tullamore.[40]

On 18 January, Gardaí arrested the suspect at 10:31 a.m. after he was discharged from St. James's Hospital, Dublin, and took him to Tullamore Garda Station, where they obtained fingerprints, DNA samples, and blood samples.[78][79][40] At 7:42 p.m. on 19 January, they charged the man with Murphy's murder and identified him publicly as 31-year-old Jozef Puška with an address in Mucklagh, around 5 km (3.1 mi) southwest of Tullamore.[54] That evening, Gardaí brought Puška before a special sitting of Tullamore District Court. A crowd of around 300 people gathered outside the courthouse and heckled Puška as Gardaí escorted him to and from the building. Members of Murphy's family appeared in court and held up framed pictures of her.[80][81][54] Puška was remanded in custody at Cloverhill Prison.[80][82]

Puška, a married father of five children, was born in May 1990.[83] A Slovak Romani, he grew up in Lučivná, a ski resort village in the Poprad District of northern Slovakia, in the foothills of the High Tatra Mountains.[84] After leaving school at 16, he worked on construction sites in Bratislava and Prague. In 2013, he moved with his wife and two children to Ireland; his parents had already moved to Crumlin, Dublin, and his brothers and their families to Tullamore.[85][86] Puška and his family initially resided in Dublin's north inner city but relocated to Tullamore in 2015. He and his wife had three more children born in Ireland, one while living in Dublin and two more after they moved to Tullamore.[84][86]

At the time of his arrest, Puška was sharing a house with an extended family of 23 people‍—  including his wife and their five children, two brothers, their wives, and their children.[87][86] He was unemployed and in receipt of a social welfare disability allowance. Neither he nor his wife could drive, and he typically travelled by taxi, bus, or bicycle.[88][86][85] He had no previous convictions for violent crime,[86] although he had been placed on probation as a juvenile in Slovakia for having consensual sex with a girl aged under 15. He had previously been a person of interest in two assaults on women, one in Prague and the other in the UK.[89][90]

Trial[edit]

On 25 April 2022, the Central Criminal Court set a date of 6 June 2023 for Puška's trial,[91] although the trial was delayed, as the prosecution required additional time to respond to an expert report from the defence.[92] The trial began on 16 October 2023, with Mr. Justice Tony Hunt presiding over a jury of nine men and three women. Puška pleaded not guilty to Murphy's murder.[93][94][95]

During the trial, the jury viewed excerpts from around 25,000 hours of CCTV footage that Gardaí had reviewed to establish the respective movements of Puška and Murphy on the day of the murder. The jury also heard testimony in relation to data retrieved from Murphy's electronic devices, which had been used to reconstruct her movements leading up to her death.[20]

The jury was shown CCTV footage taken at 12:25 p.m. on 12 January 2022, showing Puška cycling from Mucklagh to Tullamore, wearing a black jacket and black tracksuit bottoms with a white stripe and a Tommy Hilfiger logo. He was riding a distinctive Falcon Storm mountain bike with bright green forks.[32] The jury heard that Puška followed two other women in Tullamore that afternoon. CCTV evidence showed him cycling slowly behind one woman, Beata Borowska, as she walked along Church Road to the Tesco supermarket in the Cloncollig Retail Park at around 1:38 p.m. Puška ceased following Borowska after she entered the supermarket, but shortly afterwards began following another woman, Anne Marie Kelly, as she was walking her dog on Church Road around 2:00 p.m.[14]

Kelly testified that she had become aware of Puška following her and had tried to evade him by taking a route beside the Grand Canal, choosing the muddy, grassy side of the canal without a paved walkway in the hopes that he would not attempt to cycle there. However, Puška continued to follow Kelly, walking behind her while pushing his bike, until she reached Digby Bridge, where other people were present. After that point, Kelly did not see Puška again. At the bridge, Kelly recalled meeting a woman in her mid-20s, matching Murphy's description, who spoke to her in a friendly manner and petted her dog.[96] Another local woman, Emma Doyle, testified that she saw a man matching Puška's description cycling a mountain bike with bright green forks on the canal towpath as she walked her dog after 3:00 p.m.[17]

Jenna Stack, Aoife Marron, Enda Molloy, and other eyewitnesses testified in court, as did Gardaí and emergency services personnel who had attended the scene of Murphy's death.[14] The jury heard that Puška was believed to have hidden in a ditch for around four hours after the murder.[14] A number of eyewitnesses testified that they had observed a man matching his description travelling by foot along various roads in the area after 8:00 p.m. on the night of 12 January. Some witnesses described him as "crouching" or otherwise attempting not to be seen.[96][14] CCTV footage captured Puška at 9:14 p.m. arriving at the home of Rostislav Pokuta, a Slovakian national who had lived in Tullamore since 2006 and who knew Puška and his brothers through his job as a school bus driver.[97] Pokuta testified that he had used his son's gray Volkswagen Golf car on the night of 12 January to drive Puška back to his home in Mucklagh. Pokuta stated that Puška's face had been scratched and "almost blue", and that he was wet, shaking, and seemed injured and scared. Puška claimed to have been hurt during a fight in Tullamore, but would not give any details, despite Pokuta asking around 20 times what had happened.[98] Pokuta confirmed that Puška had been wearing a black tracksuit with white lines on the side.[97][98] Puška changed clothing at his Mucklagh home and asked a member of the household to burn the tracksuit and other garments he had been wearing during the day.[99]

Later that night, Puška was transported to Dublin. CCTV footage showed him and his parents exiting a car outside his parents' apartment building in Crumlin at 12:58 a.m. on 13 January.[100] Gardaí and paramedics testified that they were called to the same apartment building on the late morning of 13 January in relation to a reported stabbing incident. A paramedic testified that he encountered Puška in a bedroom of his parents' apartment, shirtless and hunched over in pain. The paramedic observed three stab wounds to Puška's abdomen that were not fresh and not bleeding, and also observed numerous scratches on Puška's face and arms.[68] Through his cousin, who acted as an interpreter, Puška told Gardaí that he had been stabbed in a fight in Blanchardstown, Dublin, the previous day.[101] Paramedics took Puška to St. James's Hospital, Dublin, for treatment, arriving there at 12:13 p.m.[32][96]

Gardaí who had been investigating a double stabbing incident in Blanchardstown testified that they interviewed Puška at St. James's Hospital on the afternoon of 13 January, initially regarding him as a potential third victim in that incident.[101][102] During that interview, Puška claimed that a friend had driven him the previous day from Tullamore to Dublin. He claimed to have taken a taxi from Heuston Station to Blanchardstown, saying he had arranged to meet a woman for a date.[101] He claimed that two men had assaulted him in Blanchardstown, saying that one man had knocked him to the ground and held him while the other stabbed him. He claimed that the scratches on his face, head, and arms had come from being dragged on the ground during the alleged assault.[103] However, Gardaí believed that the scratches‍—  which they observed were consistent with having crawled through thick briars —  were at odds with Puška's story.[104] They also noted inconsistencies in his accounts of his movements the previous day.[13] A senior Garda officer determined that there were "a lot of pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that couldn’t be put together." Suspecting a connection to the Murphy murder investigation, he contacted colleagues in Tullamore.[13][104]

The court heard that Puška underwent surgery on the night of 13 January.[105] Garda detectives from Tullamore were unable to speak with him that night, but obtained a search warrant and interviewed him in a private room at St. James's Hospital the following evening, January 14,[106] with an interpreter translating via a speakerphone. When detectives informed Puška that he was a person of interest in relation to Ashling Murphy's murder, he confessed to killing her, asking the interpreter to tell Gardaí "exactly what I tell you, that I did it, that I killed her but to tell him also that I did not do it intentionally, that I didn’t want to do it and that I’m very sorry I did it, that it happened."[13][107] Puška told detectives that he was confessing because he did not want anything bad to happen to his family.[107] One detective wrote a note recording that Puška said: “I did it. I murdered. I am the murderer.” The man, upset and crying, signed the note.[13] Puška later put his fingers to his lips, saying he had told Murphy to be quiet, and said, in English: "I tell her go, I won’t hurt you, when she pass, I cut her neck, she panic, I panic."[13] The admission that he had cut Murphy's neck disclosed details of her death that were not yet public knowledge.[29] Puška also admitted that the stab wounds to his abdomen had been self-inflicted.[13]

The jury heard forensic evidence in relation to DNA and fingerprints.[108][109] Forensic scientist John Hoade testified that he took swabs from the handlebars of a mountain bike found at the crime scene and developed a DNA profile, which he compared to a blood sample taken from Puška at St. James’s Hospital and a swab taken at Tullamore Garda Station. Hoade testified that there was a one in a billion chance that the DNA found on the bike had come from anyone other than the accused man.[110][107] Additionally, a DNA sample had been taken from beneath Murphy's fingernails during her postmortem examination; scientists isolated male DNA from that sample by focusing on the Y chromosome, so as to eliminate her own DNA from the results.[111] The jury was told that Puška's DNA produced a one in 14,000 match with the male DNA left beneath Murphy's fingernails as she had tried to fight off her killer.[78][111] Additionally, a fingerprint matching that of Puška's right ring finger had been found on the underside of the mountain bike's saddle.[110] The prosecution claimed that the evidence against Puška‍—  including CCTV evidence, forensic evidence, eyewitness accounts, and his own confession‍—  was "overwhelming."[112]

In his defence, Puška claimed that an unknown man wearing a surgical mask had stabbed him three times in the abdomen before murdering Murphy. He claimed that he had tried to assist Murphy with her injuries, but had left the scene because he was stressed and afraid. He claimed he did not remember confessing to the killing.[113] The defence argued that Puška had confessed after surgery while under the influence of oxycodone, which a medical expert testified could have had an impact on his admissions. A pharmacological expert, Professor Michael Ryan, countered that claim, testifying that he had never heard of anyone confessing to murder after a small amount of oxycodone.[114][67] Additionally, the jury was reminded that Puška had previously given multiple different accounts of the events of 12 January and had already admitted lying to Gardaí on a number of occasions.[107][115][113]

On 9 November 2023, after a trial lasting over three weeks, the jury deliberated for just two hours before returning a unanimous verdict of guilty.[116][117] The judge said he was glad the jury did not waste any more time considering the "nonsense" Puška had offered in his defence.[118][29] He stated that there would be a "day of reckoning" for Puška and said: "We have evil in this room. No doubt about that."[29] Murphy's mother held up a photograph of her daughter in court during the judge's comments. Friends and family of Murphy applauded as the jury left the box.[29] Speaking outside court after the verdict, Murphy's brother Cathal thanked the jury for their "patience and resilience throughout this incredibly difficult process." Saying that his sister had been subjected to "incomprehensible violence," he stated: "The judicial process cannot bring our darling Ashling back, nor can it heal our wounds. But we are relieved that this verdict delivers justice. It is simply imperative that this vicious monster can never harm another woman again."[119]

No rationale for the murder was established during the trial. Puška did not know Murphy prior to the attack, and had no known motive for murdering her.[14] Online rumours that Murphy knew her killer and had reported him to the child and family agency Tusla were debunked during the trial.[120] Puška had become active on dating apps in the weeks before the murder and had interacted with up to eight women in the Midland region.[90][89] Gardaí speculated that he may have been targeting women for sexual assault, and may have attacked Murphy with sexual motives, but may have killed her after she fought back.[121]

Sentencing and victim impact statements[edit]

On 17 November 2023, Mr. Justice Tony Hunt sentenced Puška to mandatory life imprisonment.[122] Noting that Puška would be eligible for parole in 12 years, Hunt criticised the sentencing restrictions in Irish courts, giving his view that judges should be able to set minimum terms for life sentences, as they could in other jurisdictions.[123]

A female Garda officer read out a victim impact statement written by Murphy's mother Kathleen, saying: "As a parent, you want your child to go out into this world and live a full and meaningful life yet, being acutely aware of how fragile their safety is, wanting to protect them. I couldn't protect my darling Ashling, and now she is gone forever." The statement called Puška an "evil monster" and said "he should never see the light of day again."[124]

Amy Murphy in her victim impact statement recalled how she and her sister had played music at the family table. She said: "Music is not and will never be the same without Ashling. Our love for Irish music was intertwined with a special bond. We could read each other's mind when we played together." She continued: "Ashling's pink fiddle case now lies covered in dust. For me, this serves as the hardest and cruelest reminder we will never play together again and how fragile this life truly is." Speaking to Puška, she stated: "Ashling's last ten minutes on this earth must have felt like the longest ten minutes of her life." She said: "You stole her life, took her voice and robbed us of our family of five."[124]

Ryan Casey in his statement recounted how he had first met Murphy at a local disco when they were both aged 15. He described how they had planned to marry, build a home together, and start a family. Speaking to Puška, he said: "Because of you, I lost my Ashling. I have lost everything I have ever wanted in life. I will never get to marry my soulmate or see her smile again." He also said to Puška: "You smirked, you smiled, and showed zero remorse throughout this trial; that sums you up as the epitome of pure evil. You will never ever harm a woman again."[124]

Appeal[edit]

In April 2024, Puška was granted legal aid to appeal his conviction.[125]

Others charged[edit]

On 13 June 2023, Gardaí arrested three women and two men, all Slovakian nationals in their 30s.[126] They were identified as Puška's wife, Lucia Ištóková; two of his brothers, Ľubomír and Marek Puška; and their respective wives, Viera Gažiová and Jozefína Grundzová.[127] Ištóková and the two Puška brothers were charged with withholding information relating to the murder investigation; Gažiová and Grundzová were charged with impeding an arrest. All five individuals appeared before Tullamore District Court on 20 December 2023, where they were sent forward for trial at the Central Criminal Court.[128][129] Their trials are scheduled to begin on 28 April 2025, and will all be heard together.[130]

Commemorations[edit]

In January 2023, shortly before the first anniversary of her death, Murphy's family established the Ashling Murphy Memorial Fund, a registered charity that supports the traditional Irish arts, culture, and heritage for young people.[131] Mary Immaculate College and the Irish National Teachers' Organisation jointly established the Ashling Murphy Memorial Entrance Scholarship, awarded annually to a first-year Bachelor of Education student who exhibits exceptional achievement and talent in traditional Irish music.[7][132] Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann established three scholarships in Murphy's memory, one to support artists working in traditional arts, another to support musical education for young people, and a third to support research into Irish traditional arts.[7] The Camogie Association renamed its collegiate Division 5 cup the Ashling Murphy Cup as "a celebration of Ashling’s life, her achievements and the sport she played and loved."[133] Offaly Camogie renamed its Division 1 cup the Ashling Murphy Memorial Cup.[134] A permanent memorial to Murphy was constructed on the canal bank at Cappincur, at the site of her killing.[135]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Talented Teacher, Musician And Friend, Ashling Murphy Was A 'Shining Light'". Extra.ie. 9 November 2023. Archived from the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  2. ^ Clarke, Vivienne (13 January 2022). "Ashling Murphy remembered: 'She was a shining light, her smile lit up a room'". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b Feehan, Conor (14 January 2022). "Exclusive interview: 'Ashling was our youngest, a little angel. Our rock' - devastated parents pay tribute to 'beautiful, talented' girl". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b Feehan, Conor (14 January 2022). "Ashling Murphy's grieving parents tell of 'special girl' who filled house with music and love". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
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