Kenneth O'Brien murder trial opens at Central Criminal Court

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Kenneth O'Brien's murder trial opened at the Central Criminal Court on 10 October 2018, with Paul Wells snr pleading not guilty. O'Brien's body was found dismembered after his death, with parts recovered from a canal at Ardclough, Co Kildare.

The prosecution said O'Brien was shot at Wells's home before his body was dismembered. Wells told gardaí that O'Brien had wanted him to kill O'Brien's partner, but said he fired the gun during a struggle and then panicked. The trial continued before Judge Paul McDermott and a jury.