A 22-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of another man in Dublin last year.
Brandon Gavin, of Brookdale Road, in Swords, Dublin, was found guilty by a jury last month of the murder of 19-year-old Marius Mamaliga.
Mr Mamaliga was stabbed in the neck while sitting in his car in a housing estate in Swords on 23 February 2023, in an incident that lasted just 14 seconds.
Gavin told gardaí he stabbed Mr Mamaliga in "self defence" because he owed Mr Mamaliga money for drugs and could not pay him back.
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He dropped his mobile phone and two medical appointment cards in the back of the car before running away.
Mr Mamaliga died three days later in hospital.
The court heard that Gavin and his father went to Swords Garda Station on the evening of 23 February to hand himself in.
He told gardaí he owed Mr Mamaliga €2,500 for marijuana and did not have the money to pay him back.
A victim impact statement on behalf of Mr Mamaliga's parents, Victor and Inga, was read to the court by former victims’ advocate and licensed minister for the Church of Ireland, John Deane-O’Keeffe.
The court has heard Mr and Mrs Mamaliga were originally from Moldova but came to Ireland to establish a life here.
In their statement, the Mamaliga family said the loss of their child had left them in complete despair and with unbearable pain that would stay with them until the end of their days.
They said the murder had brought the entire family to their knees and it had been unbearable for them to have been in the courtroom for the last number of weeks and listen to how their son had been killed.
They said their lives had changed forever and they had lost the will and reason to live.
Instead of kissing and hugging their son, they said they now go to the cemetery to bring their love and tears. They said the "inhumane cruelty" of his murder had brought the entire family into darkness and a state of despair and hopelessness they would never have imagined could exist.
They said Marius was a wonderful, caring, creative and kind son and brother.
He had represented Ireland in international Taekwondo competitions and worked several jobs to be able to buy his car.
They said he had given them 19 years of happiness and joy and had saved three lives as an organ donor. He was their hero and they would be proud of him to the end of their lives, the court was told.
Defence counsel Dean Kelly read a letter to the court from Gavin in which he said what he had done haunted him every night. He asked the Mamaliga family for forgiveness for the pain and grief he had caused.
Ms Justice Eileen Creedon imposed the mandatory life sentence on Gavin and extended her sympathy to the Mamaliga family.
