Spotter for 'murder gang' who gunned down Eamon Kelly seeks to overturn conviction

A man convicted of murder as a spotter for a gang that killed a prominent Dublin criminal has appealed his conviction at the Court of Appeal. Darren Murphy was found guilty in November 2021 of the murder of Eamon Kelly, shot four times on Furry Park Road, Killester, Dublin, on 4 December 2012, and sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2022. The Special Criminal Court found Murphy acted as part of the murder gang's common design. Murphy's legal team argues the CCTV identification process used to identify him was flawed, citing credibility concerns about Garda witnesses. The defence contends that gardaí who had previously accessed records linking Murphy to the investigation claimed they were unaware he was a suspect when later viewing footage. Counsel submitted that only eight of 58 gardaí identified Murphy from the CCTV material, and questioned whether witnesses genuinely forgot prior knowledge of his involvement. The State's counsel argued the identification process was transparent and properly disclosed. The three-judge court reserved judgement.