Mother-of-four died of shotgun injury to the chest, jury hears

A murder trial at the Central Criminal Court heard on Wednesday that a Cavan mother of four died from a shotgun injury to the chest. Patricia Kierans, aged fifty-four, was found dead at her home in Bailieborough on September 6th, 2013. Oliver Kierans, fifty-seven, of Drumbannon in the same locality, has pleaded not guilty to her murder on September 5th, 2013, and to related firearms charges. State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy told the court she observed a single gunshot wound to Ms Kierans's upper right chest, with injuries of such severity that death would have been almost immediate. The wound was consistent with discharge from approximately 1.2 metres distance. Detective Garda evidence included text messages exchanged between the accused's phone and the deceased's phone in the days preceding her death. The trial before Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly continued.