The trial of a Kilrush man accused of murdering 27 year old Leslie Kenny has heard the deceased man threatened violent attacks on the family of the accused – Brendan O’Sullivan, the night before he was shot dead.
The Central Criminal Court in Dublin has been hearing closing speeches in the trial of the 26 year old father of two from O’Gorman Street, Kilrush who’s pleaded not guilty to murdering Leslie Kenny, though he told gardaí he shot him four times to protect his family.
Brendan O’Sullivan’s sister in law Anna Carthy, told the court that she was in her car in Kilrush in July of last year when Leslie Kenny sat into the back-seat and threatened to hurt the children of Brendan O’Sullivan and his wife Claire.
She later told O’Sullivan how the 27 year old told her he was going to "slit their throats" and get a seven-shot repeater and blow in the back window on top of the two young girls and their mother
The next morning,Leslie Kenny was shot at close range four times in the hip, chest and through both knees in O’Sullivan’s front garden at O’Gorman Street, Kilrush – the murder accused told gardaí he had decided to confront Mr Kenny but fired a double barrelled shotgun only to scare him, "If I wanted to kill him, he explained "I would have shot him in the head"
Closing his case, counsel for the DPP said an unarmed Leslie Kenny died almost instantly and was most likely on the ground when the last two shots were fired, asking the jury to convict Brendan O’Sullivan for his murder.
Closing arguments for the defence will be heard this morning.
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