A 22-year-old man told a garda he stabbed another young man in the neck "in self-defence" because he owed the other man money for drugs, and he could not pay him back, a jury at the Central Criminal Court has heard.
Brandon Gavin, of Brookdale Road in Swords in Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 19-year-old Marius Mamaliga at a housing estate in Swords in February 2023.
The court was told that Mr Mamaliga was stabbed once in the neck while sitting in his car on 23 February 2023, in an incident that lasted just 14 seconds, and died from his injuries three days later.
Prosecuting Counsel, Ronan Kennedy said Marius Mamaliga lived with his parents and siblings in Swords. His parents were originally from Moldova but came to Ireland to establish a life for themselves and their son was born here.
On 23 February 2023, around 7pm, Mr Kennedy said Mr Mamaliga was sitting in his car with two friends at Forest Court, River Valley in Swords. Mr Mamaliga was in the driver's seat with the engine running.
Mr Kennedy said it was the prosecution case that Brandon Gavin opened the rear passenger door of the car, got into the passenger seat, reached across into the front seat and stabbed Mr Mamaliga once in the neck before taking flight.
He said the entire incident took just 14 seconds.
He told the jury that the accused dropped his mobile phone and two HSE medical appointment cards in the rear passenger footwell which were subsequently recovered by gardaí.
The jury heard Mr Mamaliga's friends chased the attacker briefly but returned to the car when Mr Mamaliga got out and called that he had been stabbed. Mr Kennedy said Mr Mamaliga collapsed and became unconscious very quickly despite getting help from passers by, including an off duty paramedic.
He was brought by ambulance to Beaumont Hospital in a critical condition and underwent surgery for damage to his left carotid artery and jugular vein, but he never recovered and was pronounced dead on 26 February.
A post mortem examination carried out by state pathologist Dr Sally Anne Collis found he died due to complications from the stab wound to his neck.
Mr Kennedy said CCTV footage would show Mr Gavin leaving his home 45 minutes before the incident and returning home around six minutes later. He said the jurors would hear evidence that Mr Gavin and his father went to Swords garda station on the night of 23 February and his father told the garda on duty that his son wished to hand himself in in relation to the incident that had occurred earlier.
The court was told that Mr Gavin told a detective garda that "he came at me, I defended myself, I stabbed him". He also told a garda that he had stabbed Mr Mamaliga in self-defence as he was in fear for his life because he owed Mr Mamaliga money for drugs.
He later told the same garda that he owed Mr Mamaliga €2,500 for marijuana and did not have the money to pay him back. He said he had thrown away the knife.
Gardaí later recovered the knife in River Valley Park, Mr Kennedy said and found the deceased man’s blood on it as well as the accused man’s DNA on the handle.
Mr Kennedy said it was the prosecution case that Brandon Gavin went to meet Mr Mamaliga armed with a knife, with the intention to kill him or cause serious harm, that he got into the back seat of the car, and suddenly, without warning, stabbed Mr Mamliga in the neck. He said the prosecution said this was murder "plain and simple".
The trial will continue tomorrow.
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Additional reporting: Paul Reynolds
