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Court Hears Details Of Midlands Double Murder Victim

Tuesday, 21 October 2025 12:10

45 year old Ruth Lawrence from Mountnugent in County Meath is pleading not guilty.

The Central Criminal Court has heard a man, whose decomposing body was found covered in coal sacks and tarpaulin on a midlands lake island over a decade ago, died from two gunshot wounds to the head and neck.

45 year old Ruth Lawrence, who is originally from Clontarf in Dublin but with an address at Patricks Cottage, Ross, Mountnugent in Co Meath has pleaded not guilty to murdering Anthony Keegan and Eoin O'Connor at an unknown location within the State on a date between April 22, 2014 and May 26, 2014, both dates inclusive.

Prosecution for the State told the jurors that they would hear evidence that the accused woman shot one of the two men but this was not immediately fatal and was "quickly followed up" by a shot from Neville van der Westhuizen (pr: Vest-Hazen).

Retired Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis conducted a post mortem on Mr Keegan's remains, which were in a fairly advanced stage of decomposition, in 2014.

The Irish Independent is reporting he said a search had been carried out at Inchicup Island on Lough Sheelin on May 26th, 2014 and the two men's bodies were found concealed in wrappings.

In his evidence, Dr Curtis testified that there was a ripped coal sack on Mr Keegan's upper body and blue plastic tarpaulin on the lower body. 

He said there was a gunshot entry wound, in the right temporal region of the head, with a second gunshot wound to the neck.

He added either of these injuries would have been instantaneously fatal.

Under cross-examination, Dr Curtis agreed that a toxicology sample found evidence of Morphine, Methadone, Zopiclone and alcohol.
 

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