Stephen Cahoon jury directed to choose between murder and manslaughter

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

The jury in Stephen Cahoon's murder trial at the Central Criminal Court was sent home on 4 November 2009 after almost two and a half hours of deliberations. It was due to resume deliberating the following morning. The proceedings were reported on 4 November 2009.

Cahoon admits strangling Jean Teresa Quigley to death at her home in Cornshell Fields, Shantallow, Derry, on 26 July 2008. He says her death was accidental. He has pleaded not guilty to murder.

Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy instructed the jurors to reach a unanimous verdict of either guilty of murder or not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. Manslaughter was the minimum verdict available to the jury.