A former army sergeant has been found guilty of the murder of his friend in Co Kerry last year.
A verdict in the trial of Thomas Carroll, aged 67, from Brookway, in Clonmel, was returned in the Central Criminal Court.
He has been found guilty of the murder of 84-year-old Patrick O'Mahony at Ballyreameen, near Castlemaine, in late February 2024.
After retiring yesterday, the jury resumed deliberations this morning and returned a unanimous verdict shortly after 12.30pm.
They found Carroll guilty of the murder of Mr O'Mahony at his home near Castlemaine on the last weekend of February 2024.
The court heard Carroll was a long-time friend of Mr O'Mahony and had travelled to visit him on the weekend in question.
The State's case was that events took a "foul turn" over the course of two days, which resulted in Mr O’Mahony sustaining a single gunshot wound.
A post-mortem examination determined he died as a result of haemorrhage and shock, after the bullet passed through his body.
During the trial, the court heard that Carroll served in the Defence Forces, having joined the army in 1975.
During a 37-year career, he served 11 tours of duty on peacekeeping missions in Lebanon, as well as travelling to Kosovo. He was also said to have had an exemplary record in the service of his country.
Mr O'Mahony joined the FCA in 1955, when he was 16, serving with the E Company in Killorglin.
He was described as a man of "excellent character" in the locality and had an "exemplary record" when he left the local Defence Forces in 1994, with the rank of Captain.
Formal sentencing of Carroll will take place next week, following presentation of victim impact statements from the O'Mahony family.
After the verdict was delivered, Mr Justice Patrick McGrath thanked jurors for their service and excused them from jury duty for the next ten years.
