David Byrne’s murderer, Gerard Hutch, has been declared not guilty of the crime. In February 2016, Mr. Byrne, 33, was fatally shot during a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel in Dublin. The murder occurred as a result of the Hutch-Kinahan gang rivalry.
Mr. Hutch was tried alongside two other individuals; both were found guilty of facilitating the murder.
After 52 days of testimony, the non-jury trial at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin concluded in January.
The three-judge tribunal of Ms. Justice Tara Burns, Judges Sarah Berkeley and Grainne Malone rendered the decisions.
Mr. Hutch, 60, from Clontarf’s Paddocks, had denied the charge.
Ms. Justice Burns stated that the court was convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Gerard Hutch possessed the firearms used in the incident.
However, she clarified that this did not imply that he was implicated in the murder, despite the court’s finding that the Hutch family was responsible.
Irish police later recovered the weapons from a dissident republican.
During the murder trial, former Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan Dowdall, who is serving a four-year sentence for facilitating the assassination of David Byrne, emerged as a crucial state witness.
Ms. Justice Burns stated that Dowdall was motivated by self-interest and questioned his relationship with the truth.
According to secret Garda (Irish police) recordings, Mr. Hutch did not admit to Dowdall that he participated in the assassination and was one of the murderers.
The judge stated that the audio proved Mr. Hutch was out of the country immediately following the incident.
She claimed that there was evidence that Patsy Hutch plotted the attack and that Gerard Hutch came in to clean up the mess.
During the 13-week trial, Mr. Hutch’s legal team vigorously attacked Dowdall’s credibility, arguing that he was a proven fraud and had admitted to perjury.
They pointed out contradictions between his sworn testimony and what he had said in covertly recorded Garda (Irish police) conversations with Gerard Hutch.
In the presence of his attorney, Hutch’s legal team also highlighted contradictions between his testimony and what he had told detectives during Garda inquiries.
The former Sinn Féin councillor explained the inconsistencies by telling the court that he was taking antidepressants and feared for his life at the time.
He admitted to uttering “necessary lies.”
Paul Murphy, 61, of Cherry Avenue, Swords, and Jason Bonney, 52, of Drumnigh Wood, Portmarnock, both denied assisting the gang in carrying out the assassination.
Murphy was judged guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of transporting a gang member in his taxi.
Bonney was also found guilty of aiding the murderers by transporting a gang member to the crime site.
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