A witness to the Central Criminal Court described the moment when he found the corpse of a teenager while he was walking his dogs for a morning walk.
I looked up and saw the body. I walked up to him and said hello, thinking it was someone who was drunk and fell asleep,” said witness David Shiels at the trial of the man accused of killing 18-year-old Cameron Reilly.
Doctor Alan Moran, who pronounced Mr Reilly dead at the scene, also gave evidence today that Gardaí had informed him of a cloth strip found 100 yards from the body in a field near Shamrock Hill in Dunleer, Co Louth.
Responding to cross-examination by counsel for Aaron Connolly (22), Willistown, Drumcar, Dr Moran confirmed that the strip “may have been consistent” with markings he saw on Mr Reilly’s neck.
Mr Connolly has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Reilly in Shamrock Hill, Dunleer on 26 May 2018.
Mr Shiels told Prosecutor Dean Kelly SC that he was walking his dogs in the green area of the estate that morning when he discovered Mr Reilly’s body.
Mr Shiels said the teenager was lying on his back and there was “discoloration and bruising” on the right side of the face, neck and throat. He also said there were “a lot of abrasions” on the front of the neck and the hands of the deceased were “very white and clean”.
“I knew he was dead,” said Mr. Shiels.
He said he returned home and told his wife that he had found a body in the field before going to his neighbour’s house, who knew first aid.
Catherine Shiels gave evidence that when her husband told her he had found a body, she initially thought he was mistaken and that it was just someone who had fallen asleep in the field.
She told Mr. Kelly that she went into shock when she saw the body. She said she saw scratches on the deceased’s neck and bruises on the side of his face. She described the body as “chalk white” and “swollen”.
She told the court that her neighbour, Jean Lynch, resuscitated Mr Reilly but that his lips were blue and he was “stone cold”.
Ms Lynch gave evidence that she saw the deceased’s chin look “scraped and red”.
“There were no wounds, but the chin was scraped and his tongue was sticking out a little between his teeth. The eyes were slightly open and there was bruising, with blue and red abrasions in the chin and neck area,” Ms. Lynch said.
She said she checked for a heartbeat in his neck and wrist, but she felt nothing.
“He was very cold,” she said.
She told the court that she started chest compressions on him and “heard gas come out”. She said she continued CPR for a few minutes to make sure nothing was left to chance.
Responding to cross-examination from defense counsel Michael Bowman SC, Ms Lynch confirmed that the “wear or scrape marks” on the deceased’s chin suggested contact with a hard surface, and that the marks were not caused by are through clothing.
The paramedic who was on the scene, Debbie McCole, gave evidence that she noticed “peeing” on the right side of the body, caused by the heart not pumping blood. She said the blood collects under the skin in certain areas, and this is a clear sign of death.
She said the only injury on the body was neck trauma, with extensive bruising around the neck.
The court heard from friends of Mr Reilly that a group of people gathered on the field at night, consuming alcohol and cannabis.
Rebecca McGuinness gave evidence that she, Mr. Reilly and Adam Fitzgerald went to the field around 9 p.m. to meet friends. She said there were between seven and 10 people in the field, including Aaron Connolly. She said there was also another group of people in the corner of the field.
Ms McGuinness gave evidence that several people were drinking. She said she left around 12:10, and Mr. Reilly gave her a hug and a kiss. She said she hadn’t seen Mr. Reilly since.
In response to cross-examination by Mr Bowman, Ms McGuinness said she did not know the other group of people present in the field, but described them as “an older group”.
Adam Fitzgerald gave evidence of being in the field with friends, and the suspect was also present.
In response to a question from Mr. Kelly, Mr. Fitzgerald confirmed that some people in the field “smoked weed”.
He said everyone left the field at the same time and some of them went to a local takeaway, including Mr Reilly.
In response to a question from Mr Bowman, Mr Fitzgerald confirmed that the suspect was already drinking in the field when he arrived that night.
In his opening statement at the start of the trial, Mr Kelly said it was the prosecution’s business that Mr Connolly deliberately caused the death of Cameron Reilly between 12.40pm and 1.40am on May 26.
He told the jury there was no doubt that Mr. Reilly was alive just before 1 a.m. and that he subsequently died a violent death. Counsel said it was up to them to decide whether or not Aaron Connolly did it.
The trial continues Friday before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and the jury of seven women and five men.