Scene appeared "staged" to look like suicide, witness tells murder trial

A murder trial at the Central Criminal Court has heard evidence that the death scene of a 59-year-old Sligo man appeared staged to resemble a suicide. Keith Brady, aged 31 and of Cartron Estate in Sligo, faces a charge of murdering Martin Kivlehan at The New Apartments on Holborn Street between 2nd and 3rd August 2015. He has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. Witnesses, including two lifelong friends and the deceased's brother, described finding Mr Kivlehan with a knife in his hand. A garda present at the scene testified that the circumstances did not appear consistent with suicide, noting that cabinet doors had been opened and drug paraphernalia was visible. The prosecution outlined that the deceased had sustained two stab wounds to the neck at a 45-degree angle and had very high levels of alcohol in his system. The trial before Ms Justice Carmel Stewart is expected to continue for more than two weeks, with the jury required to consider the accused's intoxication at the time of the alleged killing.