Courts / Louth / Report

Accelerant found at post-mortem, double murder trial hears

Summary

In the Louth double murder trial, the jury heard forensic evidence that partly evaporated petrol vapour was found on a sample taken during the post‑mortem of one victim. The 34‑year‑old Dublin man, Jason O'Driscoll, pleaded not guilty to the murders of 31‑year‑old Anthony Burnett and 25‑year‑old Joseph Redmond, who were shot in a burning car in Ravensdale Forest Park on 7 March 2012. Firefighters arrived before 11 o'clock, and the bodies were discovered inside the vehicle. Dr John O'Shaughnessy testified that he examined fire debris and post‑mortem samples for accelerants. He reported finding partly evaporated petrol vapour on a sample from 'Body A' and also petrol and paraffin oil vapour from a sample taken under the car. The petrol vapour was confirmed to have come from petrol.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Accelerant found at post-mortem, double murder trial hears. Charges or matters: murdering 31-year-old Anthony Burnett and 25-year-old Joseph Redmond in Co Louth on March 7th, 2012. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• March 7th, 2012 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2017-11-22 Publication

Why: He explained that the paraffin oil vapour could have come from something, such as a plastic, burning. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report