Courts / Kildare / Report
Hungarian national jailed for life for baseball murder
Summary
Zoltan Almasi, a 44‑year‑old Hungarian national, was sentenced to life imprisonment on 16 March 2016 for the murder of 20‑year‑old Joseph Dunne, who was struck with a baseball bat at their shared Harbour View address in Naas on 16 May 2014. Almasi pleaded not guilty, but a jury of twelve found him guilty after four days of deliberation. He had been in custody since the offence and had three prior traffic convictions. The court heard CCTV footage of Almasi raising a bat and fleeing the scene, and forensic evidence of a single fatal blow to Dunne's head. Almasi's wife and step‑son had previously lived in Naas but had moved to Canada; his three children live in Hungary. The sentence was back‑dated to his arrest date. The Dunne family delivered victim impact statements describing Joseph as a kind, gentle, family‑loving young man who loved horses and was a devoted son, brother and friend.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Hungarian national jailed for life for baseball murder. Charges or matters: murdering Joseph Dunne at the same address on May 16 2014; murdering Mr Dunne. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- May 16 2014 Incident
- March 10 Hearing Or Sentence
- May 16 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2016-03-16 Publication
Case subjects
Accused
Charges: murdering Joseph Dunne at the same address on May 16 2014; murdering Mr Dunne (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Outcome: Ms Justice Margaret Heneghan then sentenced Almasi to life imprisonment and backdated it to the date of his arrest on May 16 2014. "It would be remiss of me in the circumstances not to extend my sympathy to the family of Joseph Dunne," she said.
Places mentioned
- Harbour View
- Naas
- Kildare
- Athy
- Kildare town
- Central Criminal Court
- of Naas Garda Station
- Naas
- Stephen Flaherty of Naas Garda Station
- and brought to Naas Garda Station
Topics
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