Courts / Kilkenny / Report

Man found not guilty of murdering partner in staircase murder trial

Summary

In a Central Criminal Court trial, 32‑year‑old Renars Veigulis was acquitted of murdering his 29‑year‑old partner, Rita Apine, who died after falling down the stairs of their Freshford home on 14 May 2017. Veigulis maintained from the outset that he was playing with his daughter when he heard a "boom, boom, boom" and later found Apine at the bottom of the stairs with blood on her head. The jury heard forensic testimony that Apine's injuries were not consistent with a simple fall, citing multiple lacerations, bruising, and blood spatter patterns that suggested blunt‑force trauma. The prosecution presented pathologist Dr. Linda Mulligan's findings and forensic science evidence, while Veigulis's counsel argued that the injuries could result from a complex fall and that the pathologist had never seen such patterns before. After 10 hours and 21 minutes of deliberation, the jury returned a not‑guilty verdict, and Veigulis was released.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Man found not guilty of murdering partner in staircase murder trial. Charges or matters: murdering his partner Rita Apine (29) at their home on or about May 14, 2017. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• May 14, 2017 Other
• 2018-11-30 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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• Woman's injuries not consistent with fall down the stairs, pathologist tells trial

Read the original CNI report