Latest news with #Daghi
The Journal
22-07-2025
- The Journal
Man (24) who fatally stabbed sister's partner with kitchen knife found guilty of manslaughter
A 24-YEAR-OLD man who told gardaí he was 'so drunk' that he couldn't remember fatally stabbing his sister's partner once in the chest with a kitchen knife following a dispute has been found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter by a Central Criminal Court jury. The panel of eight men and four women unanimously rejected the prosecution case that Valeriu Melnic was guilty of murder, despite evidence he had told Ion Daghi 'I will kill you' when the deceased had tried to calm him down. The State had submitted this was the 'clearest statement of intent' that the jury were likely to encounter. Moldovan national Melnic, with an address at Calliaghstown Lower, Rathcoole, Co Dublin had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Daghi (39) at The Close, Sallins Park, Sallins in Co Kildare on 12 May 2024. In seeking a verdict of manslaughter for his client, Brendan Grehan SC, defending, told the jurors in his closing address that the issue of intoxication was 'all over' the case and that the consumption of three bottles of 'firewater' had an effect on everyone that night. Counsel submitted that whiskey can have a remarkable transformation on people's moods and how they behave. Melnic told gardaí in his interviews that he couldn't remember stabbing his sister's partner with the knife as he was so drunk but later said that 'all the evidence pointed' to him being 'the only one responsible'. Grehan also argued in his closing speech that if everybody who said the words 'I will kill you' in a fight were guilty of murder, the State wouldn't be able to build prisons fast enough. 'People say things not meaning them,' he submitted. Whereas, Carl Hanahoe SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, submitted in his closing address that Daghi had entered his kitchen when a struggle pursued between the defendant and his sister. 'It wasn't the entry of a bull or a bear, it was a man entering saying 'calm down, calm down''. The defence had asked for a verdict of manslaughter on the basis of intoxication or the partial defence of provocation, which can reduce an intentional killing from murder to manslaughter. Grehan said there wasn't any doubt but that a provocative act had occurred to his client, who he said was 'badly beaten' and had reacted to that. He said the defendant had picked up a knife in the heat of the moment, where passions did not have time to cool. 'Provocation is a reaction to something that causes you to boil over; and boil over he did and cause the death of the deceased'. Curiously, the lawyer submitted that Melnic did not recall being hit over the head by the deceased with the leg of a chair and the only thing he could remember was Daghi having his hands around his neck trying to strangle him. He said nine hours after the defendant's arrest, scrape marks or finger marks were found on Melnic's neck. The jury had the option of returning two verdicts in relation to the murder charge against Melnic, namely; guilty of murder or not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. The 12 jurors took six hours and 27 minutes over three days to reject the State's contention that the defences of provocation and intoxication were not open to Melnic. Following today's unanimous verdict, presiding judge Mr Justice David Keane told the panel that jury service is one of the most important duties that an individual can be asked to perform as an Irish citizen. He said they had 'very properly discharged' their civic duty at the cost of some disruption to their family lives and working lives. The judge said the graphic nature of the evidence which the jurors had to deal with during the trial had made their service 'particularly challenging and difficult'. He thanked them for their service and exempted them from further jury duty for the next ten years. Advertisement A sentence hearing for Melnic is expected to take place on 3 November and the judge remanded the defendant in custody until that date. The case was listed for mention on 20 October. On 3 November, the Daghi family will have an opportunity to make a statement to the court about the impact Ion's death has had on their lives. The judge also directed a probation and a governor's report on the defendant. The trial heard that on the evening in question, Melnic met up with a friend and proceeded to Daghi's house, arriving at 8pm. There were a number of people present in the house and they had some food in the garden, drank a bottle of whiskey and proceeded to a pub where a second bottle of whiskey was purchased and consumed back at the house. The group then went to a nightclub where they bought a third bottle of whiskey. Some time around 3am, a dispute arose between Melnic and Daghi. Witness Alexandru Beccieu (24) said both he and Daghi were trying to calm Melnic down but the defendant was 'very drunk'. The witness said he went in between his friends to pull them apart when they started throwing punches at each other. Beccieu said the defendant tried to hit him and was successful on the second occasion. He said Daghi then got in between them and separated them. Baccieu went to look for the defendant's car keys, because Melnic wasn't calming down after Daghi told him to go home. When the witness came back, he said the defendant was 'down' or on the ground with his hands on his head 'trying to ward something off' and that Daghi had a piece of a chair in his hand. A woman took Melnic into the house and Baccieu and Daghi stayed outside smoking a cigarette. The witness said Daghi looked in the window of the house and saw Melnic and his sister pulling at each other. He said Daghi went into the kitchen to see what was happening and came out seconds later. The witness continued: 'Mr Daghi said he cut and fell down in front of me.' Under cross-examination, Beccieu agreed with Grehan that Melnic must have had 'a colossal amount' of the whiskey as the deceased didn't have a lot of alcohol in his system. A pathologist told the jury that Daghi died from a single stab wound to the chest, which measured 13cm in depth, and death would have been very rapid. 73 milligrams of ethanol was detected in the deceased's system, which is just over 2.5 pints. Referring to the law of intoxication in his charge, Mr Justice Keane had said it is not a complete defence to murder and is there if the defendant's mind was in such a state from the effects of alcohol that he had not intended to kill or cause serious injury. He told the jurors if they had a doubt about that, then the verdict should be not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. Having been arrested on suspicion of assault causing harm to Daghi in the early hours of 12 May, Melnic was deemed unfit for interview and was not questioned until 15 hours later. He told interviewing officers at Naas Garda Station that he and the deceased had been drunk and at some point an argument started. 'A lot of drink was taken, my memory is very hazy,' added the defendant. Melnic's sister, Angelina Spinu, had agreed that her evidence to a jury, where she had 'painted a picture' of her own partner Daghi 'as the aggressor' in the altercation and holding a weapon, was 'the complete opposite' to what was said in her garda statement. In her direct evidence at the Central Criminal Court, Spinu denied to the prosecutor via a Romanian interpreter that she was trying to protect her brother. The jury had heard that Spinu told gardai in her statement that her 'kid brother' said to her husband 'I will kill you' before he took a step forward and 'pushed' a knife into his chest.
Sunday World
22-07-2025
- Sunday World
Man who fatally stabbed sister's partner in Kildare house guilty of manslaughter
The panel unanimously rejected the prosecution case that Valeriu Melnic was guilty of murder A 24-year-old man who told gardai he was "so drunk" that he couldn't remember fatally stabbing his sister's partner once in the chest with a kitchen knife following a dispute has been found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter by a Central Criminal Court jury. The panel of eight men and four women unanimously rejected the prosecution case that Valeriu Melnic was guilty of murder, despite evidence he had told Ion Daghi "I will kill you" when the deceased had tried to calm him down. The State had submitted this was the "clearest statement of intent" that the jury were likely to encounter. Moldovan national Melnic, with an address at Calliaghstown Lower, Rathcoole, Co Dublin had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Daghi (39) at The Close, Sallins Park, Sallins in Co Kildare on May 12, 2024. In seeking a verdict of manslaughter for his client, Brendan Grehan SC, defending, told the jurors in his closing address that the issue of intoxication was "all over" the case and that the consumption of three bottles of "firewater" had an effect on everyone that night. Counsel submitted that whiskey can have a remarkable transformation on people's moods and how they behave. Melnic told gardai in his interviews that he couldn't remember stabbing his sister's partner with the knife as he was so drunk but later said that "all the evidence pointed" to him being "the only one responsible". Mr Grehan also argued in his closing speech that if everybody who said the words 'I will kill you' in a fight were guilty of murder, the State wouldn't be able to build prisons fast enough. "People say things not meaning them," he submitted. Whereas, Carl Hanahoe SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, submitted in his closing address that Mr Daghi had entered his kitchen when a struggle pursued between the defendant and his sister. "It wasn't the entry of a bull or a bear, it was a man entering saying 'calm down, calm down'". The defence had asked for a verdict of manslaughter on the basis of intoxication or the partial defence of provocation, which can reduce an intentional killing from murder to manslaughter. Mr Grehan said there wasn't any doubt but that a provocative act had occurred to his client, who he said was "badly beaten" and had reacted to that. He said the defendant had picked up a knife in the heat of the moment, where passions did not have time to cool. "Provocation is a reaction to something that causes you to boil over; and boil over he did and cause the death of the deceased". Curiously, the lawyer submitted that Melnic did not recall being hit over the head by the deceased with the leg of a chair and the only thing he could remember was Mr Daghi having his hands around his neck trying to strangle him. He said nine hours after the defendant's arrest, scrape marks or finger marks were found on Melnic's neck. The jury had the option of returning two verdicts in relation to the murder charge against Melnic, namely; guilty of murder or not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. The 12 jurors took six hours and 27 minutes over three days to reject the State's contention that the defences of provocation and intoxication were not open to Melnic. Following today's unanimous verdict, presiding judge Mr Justice David Keane told the panel that jury service is one of the most important duties that an individual can be asked to perform as an Irish citizen. He said they had "very properly discharged" their civic duty at the cost of some disruption to their family lives and working lives. The judge said the graphic nature of the evidence which the jurors had to deal with during the trial had made their service "particularly challenging and difficult". He thanked them for their service and exempted them from further jury duty for the next ten years. Victim Ion Daghi and Valeriu Melnic News in 90 Seconds - July 22nd A sentence hearing for Melnic is expected to take place on November 3 and the judge remanded the defendant in custody until that date. The case was listed for mention on October 20. On November 3, the Daghi family will have an opportunity to make a statement to the court about the impact Ion's death has had on their lives. The judge also directed a probation and a governor's report on the defendant. The trial heard that on the evening in question, Melnic met up with a friend and proceeded to Mr Daghi's house, arriving at 8pm. There were a number of people present in the house and they had some food in the garden, drank a bottle of whiskey and proceeded to a pub where a second bottle of whiskey was purchased and consumed back at the house. The group then went to a nightclub where they bought a third bottle of whiskey. Some time around 3am, a dispute arose between Melnic and Mr Daghi. Witness Alexandru Beccieu (24) said both he and Mr Daghi were trying to calm Melnic down but the defendant was "very drunk". The witness said he went in between his friends to pull them apart when they started throwing punches at each other. Mr Beccieu said the defendant tried to hit him and was successful on the second occasion. He said Mr Daghi then got in between them and separated them. Mr Baccieu went to look for the defendant's car keys, because Melnic wasn't calming down after Mr Daghi told him to go home. When the witness came back, he said the defendant was "down" or on the ground with his hands on his head "trying to ward something off" and that Mr Daghi had a piece of a chair in his hand. A woman took Melnic into the house and Mr Baccieu and Mr Daghi stayed outside smoking a cigarette. The witness said Mr Daghi looked in the window of the house and saw Melnic and his sister pulling at each other. He said Mr Daghi went into the kitchen to see what was happening and came out seconds later. The witness continued: "Mr Daghi said he cut and fell down in front of me." Under cross-examination, Mr Beccieu agreed with Mr Grehan that Melnic must have had "a colossal amount" of the whiskey as the deceased didn't have a lot of alcohol in his system. A pathologist told the jury that Mr Daghi died from a single stab wound to the chest, which measured 13cm in depth, and death would have been very rapid. 73 milligrams of ethanol was detected in the deceased's system, which is just over 2.5 pints. Referring to the law of intoxication in his charge, Mr Justice Keane had said it is not a complete defence to murder and is there if the defendant's mind was in such a state from the effects of alcohol that he had not intended to kill or cause serious injury. He told the jurors if they had a doubt about that, then the verdict should be not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. Having been arrested on suspicion of assault causing harm to Mr Daghi in the early hours of May 12, Melnic was deemed unfit for interview and was not questioned until 15 hours later. He told interviewing officers at Naas Garda Station that he and the deceased had been drunk and at some point an argument started. "A lot of drink was taken, my memory is very hazy," added the defendant. Melnic's sister, Angelina Spinu, had agreed that her evidence to a jury, where she had "painted a picture" of her own partner Mr Daghi "as the aggressor" in the altercation and holding a weapon, was "the complete opposite" to what was said in her garda statement. In her direct evidence at the Central Criminal Court, Ms Spinu denied to the prosecutor via a Romanian interpreter that she was trying to protect her brother. The jury had heard that Ms Spinu told gardai in her statement that her "kid brother" said to her husband "I will kill you" before he took a step forward and "pushed" a knife into his chest.
Sunday World
11-07-2025
- Sunday World
Murder accused ‘tried to protect head' while man he would later fatally stab held leg of chair
The witness also agreed that the accused must have had "a colossal amount" of whiskey on the night A murder accused was squatting down trying to protect his head while the man he would later fatally stab held the leg of a chair and told him "stop or I'll beat you one", a witness has told the Central Criminal Court. The witness also agreed that the accused must have had "a colossal amount" of whiskey on the night. Valeriu Melnic (24) with an address at Calliaghstown Lower, Rathcoole, Co Dublin is charged with murdering Ion Daghi (39) at The Close, Sallins Park, Sallins in Co Kildare on May 12, 2024. Mr Melnic has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to Mr Daghi's manslaughter. A pathologist has told the jury that Mr Daghi died from a single stab wound to the chest, which measured 13cm in depth, and death would have been very rapid. Moldovan național Alexandru Beccieu (24), who has given evidence over the last two days, told Carl Hanahoe SC, prosecuting, that he and Mr Melnic went to Mr Daghi's house in Sallins for a barbeque around 8pm on May 11. He said the accused's sister was the partner of Mr Daghi. Mr Beccieu said he had brought a bottle of whiskey, which he shared with the accused and Mr Daghi. The men bought another bottle of whiskey or "a strong drink" later in the night and returned to Mr Daghi's house, where they continued drinking. The witness said the atmosphere was "different" before they went to get a third bottle of whiskey from a nightclub in Naas. He said the accused had gotten drunk and was "speaking ugly" to Mr Daghi. The witness said both he and Mr Daghi were trying to calm Mr Melnic down but the accused was "very drunk". Mr Beccieu said Mr Daghi was trying to calm the accused down "with nice words" but the deceased's patience was wearing thin. He said when Mr Melnic's behaviour wasn't changing Mr Daghi "wasn't being very kind either" and told him to take his car and go home. The accused and Mr Daghi then started to pull at each other. Mr Melnic, the witness said, had started to pull at Mr Daghi first and the accused said he wasn't going anywhere. The witness said he went in between his friends to pull them apart when they started throwing punches at each other. Mr Beccieu said the accused tried to hit him and was successful on the second occasion. He said Mr Daghi then got in between them and separated them. Mr Baccieu went to look for the accused's car keys because Mr Melnic wasn't calming down after Mr Daghi told him to go home. When the witness came back, he said the accused was "down" or on the ground with his hands on his head "trying to ward something off" and that Mr Daghi had a piece of a chair in his hand. A woman took Mr Melnic into the house and Mr Baccieu and Mr Daghi stayed outside smoking a cigarette. The witness said Mr Daghi looked in the window of the house and saw the accused and his sister pulling at each other. Mr Daghi went into the kitchen to see what was happening and came out seconds later. The witness continued: "Mr Daghi said he cut and fell down in front of me. After he fell down on his stomach, I turned him around on his back and asked what was wrong with him". He said Mr Daghi's mother was crying and screaming. Asked how long Mr Daghi was in the kitchen for, the witness said "he just went in and came back out". Mr Baccieu said the deceased had fallen around a metre from the entrance to the kitchen. Asked again what Mr Daghi had said when he came out of the kitchen, the witness said the deceased told him "he cut me, go" but he didn't understand where Mr Daghi was telling him to go. Under cross-examination, Mr Beccieu agreed with Brendan Grehan SC, defending, that the accused was "very drunk" as he had never seen him "speak like that way before". The witness also agreed the accused had been pouring more whiskey for himself than the others. He further agreed Mr Melnic must have had "a colossal amount" of the whiskey as the deceased didn't have a lot of alcohol in his system. The witness clarified that Mr Daghi had the leg of the chair in his hand when the accused was squatting down with his hands over his head trying to protect it. He said he hadn't seen Mr Daghi hit Mr Melnic but heard the deceased say "stop or I'll beat you one". In his opening address, Mr Hanahoe said it was the State's case that the accused 'armed himself with a kitchen knife' and stabbed Mr Daghi once in the chest following an altercation after the pair had spent the night drinking together. The trial continues on Monday before Mr Justice David Keane and a jury of eight men and four women. Valeriu Melnic News in 90 Seconds - July 10th
Irish Daily Mirror
09-07-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Man, 39, died from single stab wound and death would have been rapid, court told
A 39-year-old man died from a single stab wound to the chest, which measured 13cm in depth, and death would have been very rapid, a pathologist has told the Central Criminal Court. Valeriu Melnic (24) with an address at Calliaghstown Lower, Rathcoole, Co Dublin is charged with murdering Ion Daghi (39) at The Close, Sallins Park, Sallins in Co Kildare on May 12, 2024. Mr Melnic has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to Mr Daghi's manslaughter. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster today told Carl Hanahoe SC, prosecuting, that she conducted a postmortem on Mr Daghi's remains on May 12, 2024 after he had been pronounced dead around 5am that morning. Dr Bolster said she was informed that a physical altercation had occurred between two men. The witness said she was told a struggle took place and ultimately Mr Daghi was stabbed to the left side of the chest and collapsed almost immediately. The witness testified that there was a stab wound on the left side of Mr Daghi's chest around the nipple area, which was 5.9cm from the midline. Dr Bolster said it was almost a vertically situated stab wound to the top left side of the chest, which extended through the intercostal muscle between the fifth and sixth ribs. The stab wound had gone through the pericardial sac and there was 250ml of blood present in that area, which meant the heart couldn't beat properly. The stab wound measured 2.5cm in length. Dr Bolster said the stab wound had extended into the outer lower aspect of the right ventricle. The stab wound, which measured 13cm in depth, had not gone right through the heart but into the chamber of the heart. She said 73 milligrams of ethanol was detected in the deceased's system, which is just over 2.5 pints. This was indicative that Mr Daghi had been drinking up to the time of his death. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week In her evidence, Dr Bolster said there were a number of blunt force injuries to the body including bruising to the back of both hands and the knuckles, which indicated offensive or defensive injuries during the altercation. The expert witness said Mr Daghi would have collapsed and death would have been very rapid. There was no evidence of the deceased trying to ward off the knife. Dr Bolster said the blade of a knife recovered from the scene measured 19.5cm in length, which was consistent with having caused the stab wound to the deceased. The witness said Dr Daghi's cause of death was hemorrhage and shock with bleeding into the pericardial sac after a single stab wound to the chest. Under cross-examination, Dr Bolster agreed with Brendan Grehan SC, defending, that the deceased was of muscular build and it was obvious from an examination of his hands that he was a manual labourer. Asked whether the deceased had a number of "fighting injuries" to his hands, Dr Bolster agreed, saying it "was in keeping with the offensive or defensive" injuries. Dr Bolster also agreed that the blade of the knife was 19.5cm long whereas the injury she noted was 13cm, which meant the knife had not "gone in the whole way". "The knife was not plunged to the hilt?" asked Mr Grehan, which Dr Bolster said was the case. The witness also agreed that 13cm was only "an approximate measurement" and it didn't mean the blade "went 13cm, depending on the movement of the body". She said she couldn't comment on the dynamics of how the blade "went in" in terms of the struggle taking place between the two men. In his opening address, Carl Hanahoe SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said it was the State's case that the accused 'armed himself with a kitchen knife' and stabbed Mr Daghi once in the chest following an altercation after the pair had spent the night drinking together. The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice David Keane and a jury of eight men and four women.
