A Dublin man on trial for the murder of Melanie McCarthy-McNamara (16) in Tallaght, is alleged to have written boastful and 'bragging' letters about the killing.
Daniel McDonnell (19) of Brookview Lawns denies he was involved in the attack on the teenager who may not have been the intended victim.
She was shot in the head while sitting in the rear seat of a Nissan Primera in Brookview Way at around 10:30pm on the evening of February 7th in 2012.
The Central Criminal Court heard a stolen black jeep with stolen registration plates pulled up alongside the car and that one or two shots were discharged.
There will be evidence the girl was struck by a bullet, suffered catastrophic head injuries and was pronounced dead at Tallaght Hospital at 1.10am the following morning. She had been in the car with her boyfriend Christy Moran and another man, Sean Byrne.
Garda investigation
Opening the case for the prosecution Mr. Brendan Grehan SC told the jury that gardai immediately launched an investigation. A black jeep was found abandoned on a bus lane at Citywest Road.
He said CCTV footage shows two people exiting the vehicle. A search of the area led to the discovery in a field of a sawn off shotgun which the prosecution contends is the murder weapon.
The jury heard the stolen weapon had been modified and contained two discharged cartridges, while two live cartridges were found in the jeep.
Mr. Grehan said these are 'all hallmarks of a highly organised enterprise involving a number of people'.
'It was meant for that other smell bag'
The jury heard the prosecution's case against Daniel McDonell relies on an interpretation of graffiti found in a cell where he was held at Tallaght Garda Station, and on two letters he allegedly wrote while detained at St. Patrick's Institution.
Mr. Grehan described the content as 'boastful', 'bragging' and 'not very savoury', a factor he claims adds to its 'potency' as evidence.
The court heard the graffiti pieces include Daniel McDonnell's name, '2 in the head, your b**ch is dead' and 'Moran scummy knacker'.
The prosecution contends the last tag refers to Melanie McNamara's partner.
The court heard the two unsealed letters were handed to staff at St. Patrick's Institution in March 2012, while Daniel McDonnell was on remand.
In one he allegedly wrote: "The silly motherf**k pulled out a hammer, little did he know I had a 12 guage, left his b**ch all over the front of the Sunday World...I'll never forget that mug, best night of my life".
In another, it is alleged he wrote to a former girlfriend "That other thing wouldn't have happened if I'd known she was in the car, it was meant for that other smell bag".
Mr. Grehan said it is the prosecution's case that when the jury considers these matters they will be satisfied the material refers to the murder of Melanie McNamara.
The court also heard from Sean Byrne, the driver of the Nissan Primera. He gave evidence that he did not realise Melanie McNamara had been shot until they drove away.
He said when asked if she was okay, she did not reply and that he turned to find her lying across the seats, choking.
