'Stephen Silver was not unwell, just very very angry', one of the final statements from the prosecution in his trial for the murder of a detective in Castlerea two years ago.
Colm Horkan was shot and killed by Mr Silver on June the 17th, 2020 following an incident on the main street of the town.
He's pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility but denies a charge of capital murder. Following five weeks of evidence, the trial has entered its final few days at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin. The jury of 7 men and 5 women today heard the closing arguments of the prosecution, with James Dwyer SC stating that the accused's accounts of delusions and mental illness in his recent testimony were the result of two years of building defences since the fatal shooting in 2020, with Dwyer stating 'the accounts fit the evidence he has had access to'. Addressing the jury over the course of the afternoon, Mr Dwyer claimed that Silver's recollections of his state of mind before, during and after the shooting could not be relied upon, and by extension, either could the evidence provided by an expert witness for the defence. The witness in question was Forensic Psychiatrist Dr Brenda Wright, who counsel claimed, had based much of her report on the mental state of Silver on his own accounts recorded when she interviewed him in August and September of 2020. The prosecution argued that two out of the three psychiatric professionals that examined Mr Silver after the night of June 17th stated it was their medical opinion that the accused was in control of his actions both before and immediately after the shooting of the Charlestown detective.
These were Doctor Will Monteiro, a consultant psychologist based in Roscommon who attended Castlerea Garda station on the morning of the 18th of June and Professor Henry Kennedy, a former director of forensic psychiatry at the Central Mental Hospital and prosecution witness, who interviewed the defendant in April and May 2022. It was put to the jury during the closing speech that Stephen Silver was in remission from his illness when the shooting took place, having last received treatment in 2019 and had been successfully running a motorbike repair business as well as beginning a new romantic relationship. Concluding his final argument to the court, Mr Dwyer stated that Silver was 'filled with a burning anger towards on Garda Siochána' due to his past interactions and the alleged raid on his friend's home, before finishing 'that was his intent when he murdered Colm Horkan.'
Mr Justice Paul McDermott then adjourned the trial until tomorrow morning, where the defence will begin their own closing argument.
