Two brothers of convicted killer Jozef Puska, along with their wives, have been found guilty of offences relating to their actions following the 2022 murder of teacher Ashling Murphy, reports RTE.
Marek Puska and Lubomir Puska Jr were found guilty of failing to share information that they knew could significantly aid in their brother’s prosecution.
Their spouses, Jozefina Grundzova and Viera Gaziova, were convicted of destroying Jozef Puska’s clothing in an attempt to hinder the investigation, reports RTE.
Jozef Puska’s partner, Lucia Istokova, had entered a guilty plea shortly before the trial commenced, admitting she failed to disclose key information such as Puska arriving home with visible wounds, confessing to stabbing or seriously injuring a woman, and owning a bicycle of interest to gardaÃ.
This plea had not been previously reported to protect the fairness of the trial for the other relatives, reports RTE.
All five individuals were continued on bail. The case is scheduled for mention on 7 July, when a sentencing date will be set.
Ashling Murphy’s parents, Kathleen and Ray, along with her siblings Amy and Cathal, returned to the Central Criminal Court for the closing days of the case and were acknowledged by the presiding judge, Ms Justice Caroline Biggs, reports RTE.
Ms Murphy was fatally stabbed by Jozef Puska in a random attack on the afternoon of 12 January 2022, while she was walking along the Grand Canal near her Tullamore, Co Offaly home.
Earlier that same day, Puska had reportedly followed two other women.
During his 2023 trial, Puska’s assertion that another unidentified man was responsible for the murder was dismissed as absurd, and the jury did not accept it, reports RTE.
Following the killing, Puska returned to the home in Mucklagh, Tullamore, where he lived with his wife, children, brothers, and their families.
Marek Puska faced charges for failing to inform authorities about his brother’s visible injuries that night and the fact that he admitted to stabbing or fatally wounding a woman.
Lubomir Puska Jr was accused of not promptly informing gardaà that his brother came home that night injured and had confessed to stabbing a woman, reports RTE.
He also withheld that Puska travelled to Dublin later that evening.
The women, Jozefina Grundzova and Viera Gaziova, were accused of burning Puska’s clothing between 12 and 14 January to obstruct his arrest or prosecution, reports RTE.
Prosecutors claimed the brothers were aware of Puska’s actions and their wives knowingly destroyed the clothing, without any valid justification.
The jury was informed that protecting Puska or their family was not considered a lawful excuse, reports RTE.
Lawyers for the defence argued that the men feared implicating themselves.
The court also heard that at the time the women destroyed the clothing, they neither believed nor knew Puska had killed Ms Murphy, reports RTE.
After nearly 14 hours of deliberations, the jury unanimously found Marek and Lubomir Puska Jr guilty.
Grundzova and Gaziova were convicted by majority verdicts, reports RTE.
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