Mr Staines told the jury of seven men and five women that Mr Fitzgerald’s body was found on a quiet country lane where south Dublin quickly turns into countryside as you head south from Tallaght towards Blessington in Co Wicklow.
Mr Staines said the deceased was a big man, standing at 192cm . He said the jury might wonder how the killer got such a big man to the quiet country lane where he was killed. CCTV, automatic number plate recognition cameras and mobile phone will show the movements of the deceased and accused in the hours and minutes before the shooting, he said.
One minute after midnight, Mr Staines said the accused’s phone made five calls in just over four minutes while Mr Fitzgerald’s phone sent one text message. All those activities pinged off a mast “just across from the scene of the death”, Mr Staines said and also “coincides with the evidence of bystanders who heard gunshots” between five and ten minutes after midnight.