'I had nothing to do with that': Cork murder accused denied involvement via text

One of the men accused of murdering Kieran Quilligan texted his girlfriend days after the skeletal remains were found in East Cork: “They’re trying to put me in the mix… I’m not the person that was robbed. I had nothing to do with that. Not a f***ing thing.”

Detective Garda Anne O’Sullivan gave evidence yesterday as the prosecution closed its case against Luke Taylor and Niall Long, both of whom deny murdering Kieran Quilligan.

The prosecution alleged that Kieran Quilligan and another man assaulted and robbed Niall Long of cash and drugs on the morning of September 1, 2023 and that this was the “instigating factor” for what happened afterwards.

At the trial in Cork yesterday during a sitting of the Central Criminal Court, Det Garda O’Sullivan testified that on March 2, 2024, Luke Taylor texted his girlfriend: “They’re trying to put me in the mix. This man was killed in an unknown place, unknown time. I’m not the person that was robbed. I had nothing to do with that. Not a f***ing thing.

“Just because …I’m with Niall and I’m with your man… I take drugs with your man… Niall is a drug dealer, I buy drugs off Niall.

“What goes on between the two of them… I had nothing to do with any of that.”

Luke Taylor’s girlfriend asked him, “What about the night we were in Rochestown?”

Luke Taylor texted back: “He brought me out that night. Did you see the car when the car left and where it went? He brought me to get cocaine is what he done that night. He brought me to get cocaine because I couldn’t take cocaine around you.

“I seen the footage of that and I know exactly what he was at that night, the little scumbag. Ha. Little dirty c***.

“Ya know, getting me to the coke, bring me for a spin. I knows exactly what he was at.”

Rhona Campbell of the Garda Síochána Analysis Service gave evidence to the jury summarising extensive evidence already heard by the judge and jury on CCTV of the movements of relevant parties.

28-year-old Luke Taylor, formerly of Cherry Lawn, Blackrock, Cork, and 33-year-old Niall Long, formerly of St Michael’s Close, Mahon, Cork, are on trial on the same charge of murder. The murder count which each man denies, states that on a date unknown between September 1 2023 and January 29 2024 at an unknown location within the state in the District Court area of Cork city he did murder Kieran Quilligan, 47, contrary to Common Law.

Prosecution senior counsel Donal O’Sullivan said that the prosecution case was now closed.

Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford then sent the 10 men and two women of the jury away for legal argument in their absence.

Before this, the judge told them: 

“That is a big part of the case. We are now moving on to the last stages of the case. But you have not heard everything in the case. You have just heard the prosecution evidence.”

Judge Lankford repeated to the jury that it was essential that they would not engage in any independent research or social media enquiries or conversations with third parties about the case.

The trial resumes today.