This article is from page 15 of the 2008-07-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 15 JPG
A JURY is expected to decide today if an Ennis woman conspired with a Las Vegas poker dealer to murder her partner and his two sons.
The trial, before Mr Justice Ro- derick Murphy and a jury of eight men and four women at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, will enter its 31st day today.
Over the seven weeks of the trial, 95 witnesses have given evidence, while the legal teams for both the prosecution and defence have made lengthy closing statements.
Mr Justice Roderick Murphy com-
pleted his summary of the evidence yesterday and the jury commenced its deliberations. Having been sent to a hotel for the night at 7pm yesterday, the jury will resume deliberating this morning.
Sharon Collins (45), of Ballybeg House, Kildysart Road, Ennis, and Essam Eid (52), an Egyptian na- tional with an address in Las Vegas, deny conspiring together to murder businessmen PJ, Robert and Niall Howard, between August | and Sep- tember 26, 2006.
Ms Collins also denies soliciting Mr Eid to murder the three men on August 15, 2006.
Mr Eid has also pleaded not guilty to demanding €100,000 from Robert Howard, in exchange for not killing the three men, at Ballaghboy, Doora, Ennis on September 26, 2006.
He has also denied entering Downes and Howard Limited, Unit 7A West- gate Business Park, Kilrush Road, Ennis as a trespasser and stealing a computer, a laptop, computer cables, a digital clock and a poster of old Irish money on September 25, 2006.
He has also pleaded not guilty to handling the stolen items.