Jury to resume its deliberations in Claremorris murder trial tomorrow

A JURY has failed to reach a verdict today in the trial of a Mayo youth who denies murdering a 17-year-old secondary school pupil in the early hours of December 19, 2015.

At around a quarter to five this evening, the jury was sent home for the day by Ms. Justice Eileen Creedon at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Castlebar.

The 12-person jury will resume is deliberations tomorrow (Friday).

The accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has denied murdering  Doyvdas Jenkas, who lived with his family at Mount Street, Claremorris.

Over the course of a trial which has lasted  almost two weeks, Ms. Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury has heard that Mr. Jenkas, a student at St. Colman's College, Claremorris, died from a single stab wound which penetrated his rib cage into the anterior wall of the heart, causing considerable blood loss.

The accused denied murder, telling gardai the death was accidental as he chased Mr. Jenkas around a trampoline in the garden of a house while he was carrying a 'homemade' knife to 'scare him'.

The court will resume at 11 a.m tomorrow.