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Jury of murder trial in Wicklow will begin deliberations on Monday

Updated: 17.00 The jurors in the trial of a woman accused of murdering a man in Wicklow have been...
Newstalk
Newstalk

13.27 22 Jul 2016


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Jury of murder trial in Wicklo...

Jury of murder trial in Wicklow will begin deliberations on Monday

Newstalk
Newstalk

13.27 22 Jul 2016


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Updated: 17.00

The jurors in the trial of a woman accused of murdering a man in Wicklow have been told they can consider the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Marta Herda of Pairc na Saile, Emoclew Road in Arklow, Co. Wicklow denies the charge and claims she never intended to kill him.

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Marta Herda and Csaba Orsas worked together for two years, during which time she claims he fell in love with her. She told Gardai they’d never been together and she said she’d no interest in him.

On a bitterly cold morning in March 2013, her car crashed through two steel barriers at a harbour in Arklow and plunged into the Avoca River.

She managed to get out of the car and swim to safety but Csaba drowned. His body washed up on a nearby beach a few hours later.

A close friend of hers said she was surprised to hear they were in the car together that morning because she thought they weren’t in contact.

Mr. Justice Patrick McCarthy spent the day summing up the evidence and explaining the relevant law to the jury.

Ms. Herda denies murder but the judge told the jurors they could consider the lesser charge of manslaughter when they begin their deliberations on Monday.

She said he was screaming at her in the car that morning and began touching her leg. She said she’d had enough of him and couldn’t take it anymore.

Her defence described the case against her as “completely unsustainable” and one that doesn’t make any sense.

The jury now have three options open to them: guilty of murder, not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter or not guilty.


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