Courts / Dublin / Report

Law professor to go on trial accused of murder in fatal farm shooting

Summary

Diarmuid Phelan, a 56‑year‑old senior counsel and associate professor of law at Trinity College, was arraigned before the Central Criminal Court on 14 October 2024 for the murder of Keith Conlon, a 36‑year‑old father of four, at Hazelgrove Farm in Tallaght on 24 February 2022. Conlon was seriously injured on 22 February and died two days later at Tallaght University Hospital. Phelan pleaded not guilty. He will stand trial before a 12‑person jury and Justice Siobhan Lankford, with the prosecution led by John Byrne and Roisin Lacey and the defence by Michael Bowman and Sean Guerin. The trial is scheduled to begin on 15 October and is expected to last about six weeks. Justice Lankford instructed potential jurors to avoid any pre‑trial research or social‑media activity related to the case and to notify her if they had engaged with such content.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Law professor to go on trial accused of murder in fatal farm shooting. Charges or matters: the murder of Keith Conlon (36) at Hazelgrove Farm, Kiltalown Lane, Tallaght, on February 24, 2022. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• February 24, 2022 Incident
• February 22 Incident
• 2024-10-14 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report