Image copyright Ciara Wilkinson A man from Northern Ireland has been found guilty of the capital murder of a Garda (Irish police officer) who was shot dead in a robbery seven years ago.
Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe died after he was shot during a raid on Lordship Credit Union in County Louth on 25 January, 2013.
Aaron Brady, from New Road in Crossmaglen, County Armagh, was tried at Dublin’s Central Criminal Court.
The jury found him guilty by a majority verdict of 11 to one.
The crime of capital murder in the Republic of Ireland carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 40 years.
In order to be convicted of the offence, the jury had to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Brady knew he was shooting a Garda on active duty, or was reckless as to whether or not he was a Garda.
The murdered officer, who was 41 years old, was married with two young children.
He was one of two detectives on late-night escort duty at the rural credit union when the robbery took place.
His murder trial was told that staff were preparing to leave the building with the day’s takings, when they were approached by four men.
Brady moved to the United States shortly after the murder, but was extradited to the Republic of Ireland in 2017 after overstaying his visa.
Witnesses who gave evidence by video-link from New York told the Dublin court that Brady had claimed on several occasions that he had killed a garda.
Det Garda Donohoe joined An Garda Síochána (the Irish police force) in 1994 and had served for 19 years at the time of his death.
He was the 87th member of the force to be killed in the line of duty since its formation almost a century ago.
Diesel laundering
He received a state funeral in Dundalk, attended by thousands of his garda colleagues and political leaders from both sides of the Irish border.
Throughout his trial, Brady had denied murder and any involvement in the robbery.
He claimed he was laundering diesel in County Armagh on the night the detective was killed.
On Monday 10 August, the jury of seven women and five men unanimously convicted Brady of a separate charge of robbery.
They had found him guilty of stealing approximately €7,000 (£6,300) in cash and cheques from Lordship credit union on the night Det Garda Donohoe was killed.
The jury deliberated for about 20 hours in total, over the course of six days.
The judge is due to hear victim impact statements before deciding how long Brady will spend in jail.
A sentence hearing has been scheduled for 14 October.
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