The trial of a man accused of murdering a homeless man in the Phoenix Park allegedly told his friend he killed him because he thought he was a paedophile
Ciaran Moran formerly of Camden Hall, Camden Street denies murdering Gerard Donnelly in November 2013.
Sharlene O’Connor met Ciaran Moran for tea the day after Gerard Donnelly’s body was found near the Wellington Monument.
She told the jurors that Moran, who was also homeless at the time, was wearing a new outfit with a brand new pair of Beats by Dr. Dre. She said he’d €150 on him and allegedly told her he’d a new bike and urged her to take a look at his bank balance.
He was reading a newspaper article about the discovery of Mr. Donnelly’s charred remains and she asked him if he’d done it.
“Yeah” was his reply, she said.
When asked why, he allegedly told her he needed to be taught a lesson because he was accused of touching kids and was a Garda informant.
Earlier, a Garda told his trial that he met Mr. Donnelly in the Phoenix Park a few weeks before he was beaten to death and set on fire. He said the 38-year-old had €8,500 in cash on him and an EBS account book with a balance of €140k.
