The wife of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe who was shot dead during an armed robbery at a credit union in Co Louth seven years ago identified her husband's body on the night he was killed, the Central Criminal Court has heard.
Caroline Donohoe said she wanted to go to the scene after she was informed of the death.
She identified her husband's body 90 minutes after he had been shot dead at Lordship Credit Union.
Aaron Brady, from New Road, Crossmaglen in Co Armagh, has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder of Det Gda Donohoe and to a second charge of robbing €7,000 in cash and cheques from the credit union on 25 January 2013.
The trial heard from paramedics, gardaí and witnesses who were at or near the scene on the night of his death.
The court was told that the detective garda died as a "direct result of a shotgun wound to the face".
Paramedic Tony Horwell said the injuries were "inconsistent with life".
Neighbours and people passing by described hearing loud bangs, someone jumping over the car park wall and dropping a bag, and calling 999 to report an armed robbery.
Leone White said a woman standing in the road that night flagged her down.
The woman appeared to be stressed and emotional, Ms White said, and did not make sense at first but she told her there had been a robbery and somebody had been shot dead.
Gardaí who were first responders testified to looking for suspicious traffic and arriving at the scene where Det Gda Joe Ryan was in an agitated state.
Garda Finbarr Gurhy described a call for assistance from Det Gda Ryan as "a very distressed call with an urgency about it and panic in his voice."
Inspector Darren Kirwan told the court that when he became aware that Det Gda Donohoe had been shot at 9.45pm on 25 January 2013 he immediately went to his home to visit his wife Caroline Donohoe.
He said he had known both Caroline and Adrian for 17 years and he described Det Gda Donohoe as a "close friend and a work colleague."
He said Mrs Donohoe wanted to visit the scene and at 11pm that night she identified her husband's body as it lay in the credit union car park.
