"Dublin assassins" murdered man who found drugs stash on country lane, prosecution tells jury

At the Central Criminal Court, a prosecution barrister opened the trial of two men accused of murdering a 47-year-old man in Co Offaly in late 2013. The court heard that the alleged killing occurred at Bog Lane, Kilbride, Clara, between late December 2013 and early January 2014. Matthew Gralton, aged 22 and from Mt Prospect, Co Roscommon, and Ross Allen, aged 25 with addresses in Dublin and Offaly, have each pleaded not guilty to murder. The prosecution alleges both men admitted involvement in the killing during interviews with gardaí in February 2014, though neither claims to have fired the fatal shots. The court was told the victim discovered a €30,000 drugs stash on the laneway where he lived. The prosecution contends this triggered his death at the hands of individuals sent from Dublin. The victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds and blunt force trauma, and his remains were discovered in a drain in January 2014. The trial continues before Justice Patrick McCarthy.