Teacher Ashling Murphy suffered 12 stab wounds to her neck, including 11 stab wounds, according to the Central Criminal Court, reports RTE.
State pathologist Dr Sally Ann Collis said the stab wound had damaged both sides of Ms Murphy’s larynx, meaning she would be unable to speak or make any intelligible sounds following the injury.
Joseph Puska, 33, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Murphy on January 12, 2022, off the Grand Canal in Tullamore.
The Central Criminal Court heard what Dr Collis described as a “complete and exhaustive examination” of Ms Murphy’s body from head to toe.
The stab wounds were mainly located on the right side of the neck.
She added that some of the wounds appeared to have been caused by a serrated blade.
The stab wounds damaged the left and right jugular veins and the right carotid artery.
That much blood loss meant a drop in blood pressure that would have forced Ms. Murphy into cardiopulmonary arrest, Dr. Collis said, reports RTE.
Dr Collis agreed with defense lawyer Michael Bowman’s suggestion that a right-handed person was more likely to injure a person on the left side of the neck and vice versa.
Earlier, the court first heard testimony from police officers at the scene where Ms. Murphy’s body was found.
Garda Tom Dunne told the court that he and a colleague performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her body for ten to 15 minutes.
Garda Dunne said he was on duty at Tullamore Garda Station when he received a call from a very concerned man, reports RTE.
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