https://www.rte.ie/news/courts/2018/1002/1000450-joseph-hillen-court/A 24-year-old man has gone on trial charged with the murder of taxi driver Martin Mulligan in Dundalk, Co Louth three years ago.
Joseph Hillen from Glendesha Road, Forkhill, Co Armagh has pleaded not guilty.
In his opening statement to the jury, prosecuting counsel Patrick Treacy said the 53-year-old taxi driver had died from two stab wounds, one of which would have killed him in 30 seconds.
He said Mr Mulligan was married with two adult children and worked mainly as a taxi driver, but also as a supplier of coal and gas in the Dundalk area.
On 28 September 2015 his last known movements were when he dropped off four people in Forkhill in Co Armagh at 1.45am.
Just after 3am at Carn More in the townland of Balriggan in Dundalk, three women in a passing car saw his body on a road that runs adjacent to the M1 motorway.
His taxi was found a short distance away facing into the gateway of a field.
The driver's window was open and the keys were found inside the gate of the field, Mr Treacy said.
He said Mr Mulligan died from a stab wound to his abdomen which had penetrated to a depth of 22.5cm and had severed an artery.
He also had a second stab wound to his thigh which had also severed an artery and would have killed him in five minutes.
The jury was also told that Mr Mulligan had sustained other injuries to his head, trunk and limbs and cuts to his scalp. These injuries were inflicted with a separate, blunt object, Mr Treacy said.
He said two items of clothing would become important evidence in the case.
The jumper Mr Mulligan was wearing on the night, which had a cut near the stab wound and a t-shirt worn underneath, which had a corresponding cut.
However, he said the jumper had an additional cut from the neck down.
Mr Treacy told the jury that Mr Hillen's DNA was found at the scene of Mr Mulligan's death from blood on the road, on the deceased man's jumper and on a glove found on the road nearby.
The jury was told that the scene of the killing was close to land owned by a former employer of Mr Hillen.
The land owner had a problem with illegal dumping and had recently made a complaint to the county council.
Mr Hillen had come to the attention of gardaí earlier that night while "tyre spinning" in a Toyota Avensis in Dundalk town but managed to get away during a car chase.
Another man, a friend of Mr Hillen, was a passenger in the car when he left the town.
Mr Hillen made a voluntary statement in October 2015 and was later arrested and interviewed seven times in total.
He denied any involvement in the death of Martin Mulligan and denied every having met him.
He could not explain how his DNA was found at the scene. He was charged with murder.
However in July this year he made additional statements and told gardaí that on the night in question he thought he had come across Martin Mulligan throwing a shopping bag from the window of his taxi and had chased him in his car because he believed this was illegal dumping.
He claimed that Mr Mulligan had stopped his car and a wrestling match ensued.
He claimed a friend who was in the car with him had driven Mr Mulligan's car into a gateway and threw the keys over a gate.
He claimed Mr Mulligan then got into his Toyota Avensis but his friend had run to the car, leaned in the passenger side and hit Mr Mulligan on the head and shoulders with a sewer rod.
Mr Treacy said the jury would have to consider if it was possible to lean into the passenger side of a car and hit someone in the driver's seat in this way.
Joseph Hillen then claimed that Mr Mulligan got out of the Toyota and he noticed he was holding a kitchen knife in his hand. He said he believed that Mr Mulligan must have taken it from his taxi shortly before that when he saw him "rooting" for something in the door of his car.
In his statement he said he managed to "flip" the knife out of Mr Mulligan's hand.
While he was being punched by Mr Mulligan he struck him or jabbed him twice with the knife using his right hand. The jury was told Mr Hillen is left handed.
When he heard days later that Mr Mulligan had died he and a friend drove to the North and threw the knife into Victoria Lough.
In his statement he told gardaí he never had any intention of killing Martin Mulligan and was "simply trying to protect myself". He said he never meant to stab him above the belt and "never thought a leg injury could lead to this".
Defence counsel Brendan Grehan said it was accepted that Joseph Hillen had caused the knife wounds but the issue for the jury would be his intent.
The trial continues.
