A Dublin man has gone on trial accused of the murder of his wife’s son. 46 year old David Mahon with an address in Ongar village has pleaded not guilty.
23 year old Dean Fitzpatrick was stabbed to death at an apartment on the Malahide Road two years ago.
In opening statements, the prosecution said Dean was the brother of Amy Fitzpatrick who went missing in Spain in 2008. Their mother - Audrey Fitzpatrick - is married to David Mahon – who denies Dean’s murder.
The prosecution said it would be alleged that Dean and David had a difficult relationship and in the days before Dean died he had taken a part off David Mahon’s bike outside a gym. The court heard it would be alleged that David wanted to speak to Dean about this.
The court heard in May 2013, Mr Mahon became angry when he realised a part out of his bike had been taken outside his gym. He looked at CCTV footage and it looked like Dean had removed it so he asked him to call to his apartment to discuss it.
He had been drinking heavily it would be alleged when Dean eventually came over to his apartment on the Malahide Road to see him.
It’s the prosecution’s case that he was drunk and followed Dean out of his apartment and stabbed him in the stomach before fleeing the scene
David Mahon denies this – he says it was an accident and that Dean was suicidal and walked into the knife. The State argued this would be peculiar as if it were – "suicide by stepfather".
The Prosecution told the jury they would have to contrast this explanation with the evidence that a piece of Dean Fitzpatrick’s intestine was hanging out - in common terms the court heard he had been gutted.
The case continues.
