Only eye witness in woman's murder trial can't be relied upon, defence tell jury

The Central Criminal Court heard closing arguments on Tuesday in the trial of a woman accused of fatally stabbing her housemate in Ballyconnell, County Cavan, in February 2022. Nicola Brennan, aged 33, denies murdering Juris Viktorovs during an incident at a shared residence. The defence argued that the sole eyewitness to the alleged stabbing gave inconsistent accounts across multiple garda interviews and court testimony, and therefore cannot be relied upon to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Prosecution counsel countered that independent evidence supports the eyewitness version and highlighted contradictory statements made by the accused in emergency calls and police interviews as indicative of culpability. The jury of twelve was instructed to consider the effect of alcohol intoxication on the accused's state of mind. Closing arguments continue.