Thomas O'Connor denies murder charge at trial

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

Thomas O'Connor went on trial accused of murdering John O'Brien at Farrankelly Road in Delgany on the evening of 4 June 2010. He denied the murder charge. He admitted hitting Mr O'Brien with a rock. The proceedings were reported on 15 November 2011.

The state said that when O'Connor was charged with murder, he replied: "I didn't mean to kill him." It also said there would be evidence that Mr O'Brien died from head injuries resulting from blunt-force trauma.

Prosecution witness Ashley Carroll, who stopped at the scene, said she was shocked by how calm O'Connor was when he told her "That's John over there", referring to the person lying on the road. She said the men had been friends for almost all their lives.

Carroll also said O'Connor seemed "stone-cold sober" and that he "smirked and sniggered" when he told her he was going home.