The jurors in Patrick Quirke’s murder trial have now heard from both legal times for a final time and are expected to begin their deliberations next week.
The 50-year-old farmer from Breanshamore, Co. Tipperary denies murdering local DJ Bobby Ryan sometime between June 3rd 2011 and April 30th 2013.
It is the prosecution’s case that Patrick Quirke murdered Bobby ‘Mr. Moonlight’ Ryan in an attempt to get back with his former lover Mary Lowry, who was going out with Bobby when he went missing in June 2011.
Mr. Quirke was the one who found the local DJ’s remains almost two years later in what the prosecution claim was a “staged discovery”.
All of the evidence is circumstantial, but prosecuting barrister Michael Bowman claimed it clearly communicated “motive and opportunity”
In his final address, defence barrister Bernard Condon described this as a “case based on theory” with no hard evidence.
The judge will address the jurors when they return next Tuesday and they’ll then be asked to retire to consider a verdict.
*Reporting by Frank Greaney
