Jury deliberations have begun in the trial of Barefield farmer Joe Heffernan, who is accused of murdering an Ennis student on his land two years ago.
Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy has told jurors they can reach one of three possible verdicts, none of which can be an acquittal.
Joe Heffernan of Cappagh Beg, Barefield has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Eoin Ryan at that address on June 7, 2011.
That morning, his trial has heard, the now 33-year-old called Gardaí saying he had killed a man who he repeatedly referred to as the Devil.
The Central Criminal Court has heard the student’s body was later found in a barrel on Mr. Heffernan’s farm, and that he had sustained multiple injuries to his head and body.
During his closing address, presiding judge Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said that "In this instance, the physical act is not in dispute." “The crux of the case," he went onto say "lies in the state of mind of the accused."
The defence are seeking a verdict of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, either due to intoxication or because Mr. Heffernan was suffering from a mental disorder at the time. The judge said verdicts of murder, or manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility, could also be returned.
The jury of seven women and five men spent just under an hour deliberating before going home last night, and will resume their deliberations this morning.
