Latest news with #JozefPuska
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Irish Times
‘Make sure those clothes are burnt': How relatives aided Ashling Murphy killer Jozef Puska
Jozef Puska was soaking wet, ashen-faced, shaking with cold and covered in scratches and bruises when he arrived home about six hours after he had stabbed 23-year-old schoolteacher Ashling Murphy to death. By then, Ashling's violent killing led every news bulletin and flashed across social media. Another man, entirely innocent as it would later become clear, was in a Garda station being questioned on suspicion of her murder. It was obvious to the adults in the Puska household that Jozef (then 31, now 35) had been involved in something terrible. Much of the detail of how Jozef Puska murdered Ashling Murphy came out during his trial in 2023. The trial of his brothers Marek (36) and Lubomir jnr (38), and their wives Jozefina Grundzova (32) and Viera Gaziova (40), over the past few weeks gave insights into the Puskas' lives. Their statements, made in the days after the murder, give further detail of how the killer, his brothers and their wives tried to thwart the Garda investigation. READ MORE On Tuesday, a jury by unanimous verdict found Marek and Lubomir jnr guilty of withholding crucial information from investigating gardaí. Jozefina and Viera were found guilty by majority verdict of burning the killer's bloodstained clothes in an effort to obstruct his prosecution. All of them had pleaded not guilty to all charges. In a voluntary statement two days after Jozef Puska killed Ms Murphy, Marek Puska gave details of the family's background, of their moving from Slovakia to Czechia and finally to Ireland. Jozef arrived in Ireland in 2013 and lived in several places before, in 2020, securing a four-bedroom house in Lynally Grove in Mucklagh, Co Offaly, near Tullamore, with his partner Lucia Istokova and their five children. Soon Marek and Jozefina moved in with their six children and Lubomir jnr and Viera with their three. Marek spoke in glowing terms of their life together in Mucklagh. 'We don't feel alive without each other, we're so close,' he said. None of the three men was working. They spent their days sleeping, drinking coffee or beer and going into Tullamore by bike, car or taxi. Marek Puska and Jozefina Grundzova arrive at Central Criminal Court in Dublin during their trial last month. Photograph: Collins Courts Lubomir Puska and Viera Gaziona at the Central Criminal Court. Photograph: Collins Courts 'It was the golden times, the best of times. I swear to God, everyone says they don't see a family like this getting on. We sit and talk and don't argue. Any problems, we talk about it,' said Marek. He said they solved financial problems among themselves and the 'kids are at the top of everything and get everything'. Jozef he described as the 'go-to man' who would help everyone. On January 12th, 2022, Marek said he got up at around 12.30pm, 'the same as every day'. Lubomir jnr, the only person in the house with a car, had earlier taken the children to school, and at 11.30am brought Viera to the dentist in Tullamore. Lubomir jnr would tell gardaí that Jozef declined to go with them because Lucia was cooking scrambled eggs for him. About 30 minutes before Marek got up, Jozef finished his breakfast, drank a cup of coffee and left on his bicycle. Lucia told Marek she didn't know where Jozef had gone and that he had left his phone behind. 'I wanted to be with him,' Marek said, so he went to Tullamore to search for his brother. He said he tried a local casino and other regular haunts where people would know Jozef, but nobody had seen him. Marek returned home but left again, this time with Lubomir jnr, to continue the search. By now concerned about his whereabouts, they checked the emergency department at the hospital. When that turned up nothing, they reported Jozef missing at Tullamore Garda station. It was shortly after 5pm. By now, gardaí in Tullamore were focused on the inexplicable and brutal murder of Ashling Murphy, which had happened at about 3.30pm. Two women out running at Cappincur alerted gardaí after they stumbled across a man attacking Ashling in the briars on the steep bank by the canal towpath. Gardaí arrived within minutes but Jozef Puska had already escaped and there was no chance of saving the young teacher, who had suffered multiple, fatal stab wounds to her neck. Jozef Puska would spend the hours after the attack scrambling through thick briars and into a nearby field, then walking to the N52 and into Tullamore. Shortly after 9pm, he knocked on the door of Rostislav Pokuta, an acquaintance who drove a localschool bus. Pokuta was surprised to see Jozef Puska, who was soaking wet, white in the face and frightened looking. Jozef did not want to talk, other than to say he had been beaten up and to beg for a lift home. Pokuta agreed. In his original statement, Marek Puska did not mention seeing Jozef that night. Four days later he told gardaí he had more to say. Under caution, he said he and Lubomir jnr had been in Tullamore looking for Jozef, when Lubomir jnr got a call saying Jozef was at home and 'in a poor state, beaten up'. After his arrest on January 26th, Marek gave further details. By the time he got home, he said, he was crying because he is sensitive about his brother. He and Lubomir jnr went into Jozef's room and closed the door. The accounts given by Jozef Puska of what had happened were described as 'obvious nonsense' and 'garbled lies' by barristers in the trial. Marek told gardaí that Jozef claimed he was trying to take his own life by stabbing himself in the stomach when a woman came upon him and tried to pull the knife away. Recalling the same story multiple times, Marek gave differing accounts of what Jozef had said. Members of Jozef Puska's family (all with back to camera and hoods) enter a side door of Tullamome courthouse in December 2023. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins In one, he had Jozef in pain on the ground with holes in his abdomen when the woman grabbed his hand and tried to drag it away before he 'cut her ... around the neck area'. In another account, he said Jozef 'struck out and cut her' but said the latter couldn't remember what else he had done. Jozef knew it was 'probably bad' but then didn't want to talk about it any more. In another account, he said Jozef told him he 'cut her with a knife' while they were 'fighting on the ground'. [ Who is Jozef Puska? From anonymous father-of-five to notorious killer Opens in new window ] Marek, crying, told his wife Jozefina that Jozef had 'hurt this woman' and that he 'must have killed her'. Somebody contacted Jozef's parents, who travelled to Mucklagh. Viera Gaziova would later tell gardaí that Jozef's mother was 'visibly afraid' and demanded to know who had beaten up her son. She begged Jozef to go with her back to Dublin. He went with his parents. With Jozef gone to Dublin, the family in Lynally Grove discussed what they had heard while Lubomir jnr poured shots of vodka for everyone. Each would tell gardaí they didn't believe the various accounts that Jozef had stabbed or cut or killed a woman. Viera spoke to gardaí on January 17th and 18th. By then the family had been moved to the Central Hotel in Tullamore. Gardaí wore plain clothes and were careful not to draw attention to the family at the centre of a national outcry. Viera said Jozef had scratches on his face and was 'shaking uncontrollably' when he arrived home on the night of the murder. She said that Lubomir jnr and Lucia went to Dublin the following day, but that Jozef had been admitted to St James's Hospital for surgery on stab wounds to his abdomen. While Jozef convalesced, Viera said Lubomir jnr called her using Facebook Messenger to say that Jozef had asked him to 'make sure that those clothes are burnt'. She knew what he meant. Jozef had left his wet clothes in a bundle on the bathroom floor and Viera had taken them to the kitchen and placed them beside the bin. She said she waited until the following morning after the children had gone to school. She lit the fire using paper and briquettes and let it burn for about an hour, until it was 'very strong'. She took the clothes out of the bag, starting with the tracksuit top and T-shirt, which were stuck together as though Jozef had taken them off in one go. [ Murder of Ashling Murphy 'a monstrous crime that shocked the nation', senior garda says Opens in new window ] Jozefina, who helped by burning the socks, would tell gardaí that she noticed 'blood around the lower half of the T-shirt.' When gardaí asked Viera why she had 'misled the investigation' by failing to mention in her previous statement that she had destroyed evidence, she said: 'We were afraid of the guards when they came. Nothing like this ever happened before. I was afraid I would end up on the street with my children. I was shaking. I didn't want to say because I was afraid the whole family would go against me.'
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Irish Times
Two of Jozef Puska's brothers found guilty of withholding key information about Ashling Murphy murder
A jury has convicted murderer Jozef Puska's two brothers of withholding crucial information from gardaí investigating the murder of schoolteacher Ashling Murphy. The two men's wives have also been found guilty of burning the killer's bloodstained clothes in an effort to obstruct his prosecution. Jozef Puska (35) murdered Ms Murphy (23) on January 12th, 2022, by repeatedly stabbing her in the neck after attacking her while she exercised along the canal towpath outside Tullamore, Co Offaly. He was later convicted of murder and is serving a life sentence. The Central Criminal Court jury on Tuesday accepted the prosecution's case that his brothers, Lubomir Jnr (38) and Marek (36) misled gardaí by failing to disclose crucial and vital information when they gave witness statements. READ MORE The jury found their wives – Viera Gaziova (40) and Jozefina Grundzova (32) – burned Jozef Puska's clothes to impede his arrest or prosecution. The 12 jurors unanimously found the brothers guilty, while the two women were found guilty by majority verdicts. All four were living with Jozef Puska, his wife Lucia, and 14 children at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly, when the offences occurred in January 2022. All defendants had pleaded not guilty to all charges. It was the State's case that the two brothers misled gardaí and withheld 'crucial, relevant and significant' information when they gave voluntary interviews in Tullamore two days after Ms Murphy's death. This included information that Jozef Puska returned home on the night of the murder with visible injuries, admitted to killing or seriously injuring a woman with a knife and subsequently travelled to Dublin. The 12 jurors at the Central Criminal Court gave their verdict in relation to the two brothers after deliberating for 13 hours and 40 minutes over five days, before returning again to the courtroom 16 minutes later to reveal their decisions on the charges against the two women. Ms Justice Caroline Biggs thanked the panel of seven men and five women for their service and excused them from jury service for life. The four family members were remanded on continuing bail until July 7th, when their sentence hearings will take place. More to follow ...
BreakingNews.ie
5 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Josef Puska's two brothers and their wives guilty of offences after murder of Ashling Murphy
A jury has convicted Jozef Puska's two brothers of withholding crucial information from gardaí investigating the murder of school teacher Ashling Murphy, while the two men's wives have also been found guilty of burning the killer's bloodstained clothes in an effort to obstruct his prosecution. Jozef Puska (35) murdered Ms Murphy (23) on January 12, 2022, by repeatedly stabbing her in the neck after attacking her while she exercised along the canal towpath outside Tullamore, Co Offaly. He was later convicted of murder and is serving a life sentence. Advertisement Jozefina Grundzova (31) and Marek Puska (34). Photo Collins Courts The Central Criminal Court jury on Tuesday accepted the prosecution's case that Jozef Puska's brothers, Lubomir Jnr (38) and Marek (36) misled gardai by failing to disclose crucial and vital information when they gave witness statements, while their wives - Viera Gaziova (40) and Jozefina Grundzova (32) - burned Jozef's clothes to impede his arrest or prosecution. Lubomir Puska Jnr (35) and Viera Gaziona (38). Photo Collins Courts The 12 jurors unanimously found Josef Puska's brothers guilty, while his sisters-in-law were found guilty by majority verdicts. All four family members were living with Jozef Puska, his wife Lucia, and 14 children at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly when the offences occurred in January 2022. All defendants had pleaded not guilty to all charges. It was the State's case that the two brothers misled gardaí and withheld 'crucial, relevant and significant' information when they gave voluntary interviews in Tullamore two days after Ms Murphy's death. Advertisement This included information that Jozef returned home on the night of the murder with visible injuries, admitted to killing or seriously injuring a woman with a knife and subsequently travelled to Dublin. The 12 jurors at the Central Criminal Court gave their verdict in relation to the two brothers after deliberating for 13 hours and 40 minutes over five days, before returning again to the courtroom 16 minutes later to reveal their decisions on the charges against the wives of the two brothers. Following the four verdicts, presiding judge Ms Justice Caroline Biggs thanked the panel of seven men and five women for their service and excused them from jury service for life. The four family members were remanded on continuing bail until July 7, when their sentence hearings will take place. More to follow.
Irish Times
7 days ago
- Irish Times
Puska family trial: Jury to continue deliberations tomorrow
A jury will return to the Central Criminal Court tomorrow to consider its verdicts in the trial of family members of Jozef Puska who are charged with offences relating to obstructing his arrest for the murder of schoolteacher Ashling Murphy. The panel of seven men and five women began considering their verdict last Wednesday and have spent a total of 10 hours and five minutes deliberating. At 1.45pm, presiding judge Ms Justice Caroline Biggs told the jurors she would let them go for the day after they had previously asked to cease their deliberations at an earlier time on Monday. They will resume their deliberations at 11.30am tomorrow. READ MORE Jozef Puska (35) murdered Ms Murphy (23) on January 12th, 2022 while she exercised along the canal towpath outside Tullamore, Co Offaly. He was later convicted of murder and is serving a life sentence. His brothers, Lubomir Puska jnr (38) and Marek Puska (36) are charged with withholding information from gardaí. Their wives, Viera Gaziova (40) and Jozefina Grundzova (32) are charged with impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Puska by burning his clothes. All the accused were living with Puska, his wife Lucia, and 14 children at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly when the offences are alleged to have occurred in January 2022. All accused have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Irish Times
13-06-2025
- Irish Times
Jury in trial of Jozef Puska's relatives to resume deliberations on Monday
Jurors in the trial of family members of Jozef Puska, who are charged with offences relating to obstructing his arrest for the murder of schoolteacher Ashling Murphy, have ceased their deliberations for the weekend and will return to the Central Criminal Court on Monday. Jozef Puska murdered Ms Murphy (23) on January 12th, 2022, by repeatedly stabbing her in the neck after attacking her while she exercised along the canal towpath outside Tullamore, Co Offaly. He was later convicted of murder and is serving a life sentence. His brothers, Lubomir Puska Jnr (38) and Marek Puska (36) are charged with withholding information from gardaí. Their wives, Viera Gaziova (40) and Jozefina Grundzova (32) are charged with impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Jozef Puska by burning his clothes. READ MORE All the accused were living with Jozef Puska, his wife Lucia, and 14 children at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly, when the offences are alleged to have occurred in January 2022. All accused have pleaded not guilty to all charges. After originally beginning their deliberations on Wednesday, the jury on Friday returned to court shortly before 12.30pm with three questions. The jurors first asked whether the four accused 'need to know that they are doing something unlawful at the time they do it to be guilty of a crime', to which Ms Justice Caroline Biggs said they did not. The jury then said they understood that protection of Jozef Puska is not a reasonable excuse in and of itself, but asked if the motivation was the protection of the wider family, particularly the children, and protection of Jozef Puska was the means to achieve this, does this qualify as a reasonable excuse. They gave the example of protection from harassment. In response, Ms Justice Biggs said it had already been indicated that the issue of self-incrimination can amount to a reasonable excuse. She said beyond that, the issue of reasonable excuse was entirely a matter for them to decide on the evidence. She said if there was some evidence, it was for the prosecution to disprove it to a standard of beyond reasonable doubt. Ashling Murphy. Photograph: In his closing speech, defence counsel Karl Finnegan SC said that Marek Puska was entitled to remain silent to avoid incriminating himself. Mr Finnegan said there was a real risk that the information his client had could implicate him in an offence of assisting his brother after the murder. Kathleen Leader SC, for Lubomir Jnr, said her client delayed but did not withhold information. She said he had a reasonable excuse for the delay and asked the jury to consider the 'natural sense of protection for his younger brother'. She said it is understandable that Lubomir Jnr was reluctant to accept that his brother had 'committed a truly horrific murder'. The third and final question posed by the jury was whether they should consider only the written statements and other evidence presented or if they could take into account wider circumstances or family dynamics. 'For example, if a person is perceived to be influenced by family dynamics when committing an act, can this be considered a reasonable excuse or is it only relevant to sentence,' they said. Ms Justice Biggs said in relation to that, and in relation to the issue of reasonable excuse, she would go back to what would not be a reasonable excuse, which was the protection of Jozef Puska. Ms Justice Biggs told the jury that they could take into account more than the witness statements and other evidence. 'You can take into account whatever you deem appropriate if it is founded on the evidence or if you can infer it from the evidence,' she said, before warning the jury to be careful not stray 'into the territory of speculation or guesswork'. The 12 jurors originally began considering their verdicts on Wednesday. However, a change was made to the indictment on Thursday and since then the panel has spent seven hours and 18 minutes deliberating. Prosecutor Anne Marie Lawlor SC told the jury in her closing speech earlier this week that Marek and Lubomir Jnr knew what Jozef had done shortly after 9.30pm on the night of the murder because Jozef told Marek. Despite this, Ms Lawlor said Marek and Lubomir Jnr failed to disclose vital information when they spoke to gardaí. Their wives burned Jozef's clothes to impede his arrest or prosecution, she said. In his closing address, Paul Murray SC, for Ms Grundzova, told the jury that when his client burned Puska's clothes, she did not have any of the evidence that would later prove Jozef's guilt. Damien Colgan SC, for Ms Gaziova, told the jury that his client's view at that time was that Jozef had been the victim of an assault.
