Courts / Kilkenny / Report

State relying on "pseudoscience" in case of staircase murder accused, defence say

Summary

In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Renars Veigulis, aged 32, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Rita Apine, aged 29, who died after falling down the stairs at their Freshford home on 14 May 2017. Veigulis claimed he was in the kitchen with his daughter when he heard a noise from the stairs, found his wife injured, and called emergency services, but she later died. Prosecutors, led by Vincent Heneghan SC, argued that blood spatter on walls and a hoodie, along with head injuries, proved Apine was beaten to death. They cited Deputy State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan, who said the injuries were unlikely from a simple fall, and forensic scientist Dr Stephen Doak, who suggested a baby gate could have been a weapon.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: State relying on "pseudoscience" in case of staircase murder accused, defence say. Charges or matters: murdering Rita Apine (29) at their home on or about May 14, 2017. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• May 14, 2017 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2018-11-26 Publication

Why: No weapon was found, he said, because there was no weapon. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report