A 54-year-old army sergeant has pleaded not guilty in the Central Criminal Court to a murder he is alleged to have committed over 22 years ago.
John Crerar, from Woodside Park in Kildare town, is charged with murdering Philomena (Phylis) Murphy on a date unknown between 22 December 1979 and 18 January 1980.
Phylis Murphy, who was one of a family of ten, was 23-years-old when she died.
In the weeks that followed her disappearance, her personal items and clothing were found in the Kildare town area and finally on 18 January 1980 her body was discovered partially concealed with ferns in County Wicklow.
Various samples were taken from the body. But no scientific link was made during laboratory tests with blood samples taken from a number of men including John Crerar.
The investigation went cold until 1998 when a detective decided to have the samples, which had been preserved, checked again. John Crerar was charged with her murder in July 1999.
Prosecuting counsel Michael Durack told a jury today, that the laboratory tests pointed to John Crerar.
The trial before a jury of six man and six women is expected to last several weeks.
