Derek Boyd found guilty of murdering Mark Carroll in Dublin

Alison O’Riordan

Derek Boyd, who was serving the suspended part of his sentence for the manslaughter of his sister when he fatally stabbed another man in the chest at his north Dublin home, has been found guilty of murder by a Central Criminal Court jury on Wednesday.

The jury of seven men and four women took eight hours and 51 minutes over three days to unanimously accept the State's position that self-defence was not open to Boyd, who the prosecution argued chose to pick up a knife in "a determined, murderous attack".

In his closing address, Sean Guerin SC, prosecuting, said that the deceased Mark Carroll's return to Boyd's home moments after he initially left "wasn't remotely threatening but entirely reasonable", as he was going back to "sort out" an earlier row.

Boyd fled the jurisdiction by boarding a ferry from Belfast to Scotland just hours after he killed Carroll.

In a statement given to gardai over a year later, the defendant said he believed his life was at risk and that he acted in self-defence when he fatally stabbed Carroll.

The defence said that Carroll had let himself back into Boyd's home after being ordered to leave just minutes beforehand.

Boyd also said that, "given what had happened with his sister", he "did not want to harm anyone intentionally and certainly did not intend to end someone's life".

Boyd took the stand at the trial, telling the jury how he picked up a knife and "begged" Carroll - who he'd been drinking with just moments earlier - to leave his home, claiming that the deceased repeatedly threatened to kill him.

Boyd (31) said that Carroll grabbed him and, during a struggle, tried to take the knife.

The defendant said he managed to "break free" and swung the knife at least three times but never intended to kill or seriously injure Carroll.

"He told me 'I'll stick the knife up your h*le'", Boyd said of the deceased.

Boyd was serving the suspended portion of his sentence for the manslaughter of his sister Sandra Boyd by a "reckless or negligent discharge of a gun" when he fatally stabbed Carroll.

A pathologist had told the trial that Carroll died from a stab wound to the chest, which measured around 10.5cm in depth and was unsurvivable.

The expert witness also said Carroll had minor injuries consistent with being in a fight.

The jurors had the option of returning three verdicts in relation to the murder charge against Boyd, namely; guilty of murder, or not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter, or not guilty.

Boyd, with an address at Scribblestown Place, Finglas in Dublin 11, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Carroll (34) at his home on June 9th 2024.

Boyd had also pleaded not guilty that on the same occasion he assaulted the deceased's girlfriend Megan Rock, causing her harm.

Boyd's girlfriend Chantelle Harcourt (34) stood accused of impeding her partner's prosecution, and it was the State's case that she knew some or all of what had occurred that night and avoided telling the truth to gardai in the hours after the fatal stabbing.

The 11 jurors returned unable to reach a verdict on either of these two counts on which at least ten of them agreed.

When Judge Melanie Greally asked the foreman of the jury whether the panel were continuing to make progress on these two counts - having been given the majority verdict - he replied "no".

The judge then asked the foreman to record a disagreement on the remaining two counts on the issue paper.

Following this, Judge Greally told the jury she realised what a difficult case this had been "for a whole variety of reasons". She thanked them for their service and their patience for the many delays and interruptions during the trial.

She exempted them from jury service for the next five years.

The judge added: "The position is that you have convicted Derek Boyd on the most serious charge - the murder charge - and he will be sentenced by me very shortly on that. You are free to go now".

The judge will hand down the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment to Boyd on July 28 next and remanded the defendant in custody until that date.

On that date, the Carroll family will have an opportunity to make a statement to the court about the impact Mark's death has had on their lives.

Judge Greally also listed the assault causing harm charge against Boyd for mention on July 28 next.

She remanded Harcourt on continuing bail on the same terms and conditions until the next list to fix dates at the Central Criminal Court on July 30th.

In seeking a verdict of manslaughter or an acquittal for his client, Brendan Grehan SC with Seoirse Fennessy BL, defending, had argued that Boyd had "acted out of instinct" when he fatally stabbed Carroll. Counsel argued Carroll had "trespassed" on Boyd's north Dublin home and that the defendant was entitled to protect himself if he was under attack.

The deceased's partner, Megan Rock, had denied to Boyd's lawyers that her boyfriend had returned to the defendant's house not to make peace, but to "sort out" Boyd.

Carroll had come to garda attention over the years and had pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to his girlfriend Rock in her home, where gardai noted on arrival that she was bruised, bloody-faced and visibly shaking.

Carroll was also awaiting trial on a second unrelated assault causing harm charge at the time of his death.

Lawyers for Harcourt told the jury in their closing remarks that there wasn't a "shred of evidence" that Boyd's girlfriend was aware of the nature, extent or gravity of the injury to the deceased when she provided a statement to gardai.

John Byrne SC, for Ms Harcourt, submitted that gardaí hadn't told his client that Carroll had died at 2.15am that morning when she was interviewed and had that been done, the jurors task would have been much more straightforward.

Harcourt, of Primrose Grove, Darndale in Dublin 17 had pleaded not guilty on the same date at Blanchardstown Garda Station, in circumstances where another person had committed an arrestable offence, namely murder, and knowing or believing that person to be guilty of that offence or of some other arrestable offence, did without reasonable excuse an act with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of the said person.