There has been a hung jury in the trial of a man accused of murdering Detective Garda Colm Horkan in Castlerea, Co Roscommon two years ago.
The jurors failed to reach a verdict after considering the evidence in the case against Stephen Silver, of Aughavard, Foxford, Co Mayo, for eight-and-a-half hours.
This morning, having deliberated for a total of about seven hours since Tuesday, the jurors were told the court would accept a majority verdict.
They emerged again just after lunchtime to tell the judge they were unable to reach a verdict.
The issue of who killed Detective Colm Horkan back in June 2020 was never in doubt. Stephen Silver admitted firing the shots that killed him.
He used the detective’s own gun to do so.
What was in dispute, was his mental state at the time. He claimed he was suffering a relapse of bipolar affective disorder.
A forensic psychiatrist for the prosecution disagreed. On that night in Castlerea, Co Roscommon, he claimed Mr Silver had “significant functional mental capacity.”
He, unlike the defence’s expert, was not of the view that he satisfied the criteria for a verdict of not guilty of murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
But in the end, the jurors couldn’t reach agreement so his case will be mentioned again next month.
