Courts / Dublin / Report

Bereaved family say justice has prevailed as murderer has appeal dismissed

Summary

In 2015 the Central Criminal Court dismissed the appeal of Marcus Kirwan, a 22‑year‑old from Dublin, who had been convicted of murdering 19‑year‑old David Byrne in 2011. Kirwan had lured Byrne to a meeting by pretending to be a girl over text, then stabbed him nine times, including a 20‑cm wound to the back. He received a mandatory life sentence in 2013. His appeal was based on four grounds: the arrest warrant, alleged identification errors, CCTV evidence and phone analysis. The court rejected all arguments, citing statutory authority, proper Garda procedure, the ubiquity of CCTV and the sufficiency of circumstantial evidence. The decision was welcomed by Byrne's family, who expressed relief and gratitude to the police and judges for upholding justice. The case remains a stark reminder of the seriousness of violent crime in Ireland.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Bereaved family say justice has prevailed as murderer has appeal dismissed. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• March 19, 2011 Hearing Or Sentence
• February 4 2013 Incident
• 2015-10-27 Publication

Why: It was so hard because we lost our sister, his (David's) mam as well so shortly after David. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report