Victim’s body had signs of ‘hammer blows’, Cork murder trial hears

A 47-year-old man was beaten and hammered to death, and thrown into the boot of a car to be taken from Cork city to a remote place in East Cork where his remains were left hidden over two years ago — but now two men face life sentences for his murder.

The motive for the murder was a drug deal that went wrong and which saw the deceased and another man rob the dealer of a few hundred euro worth of drugs and a few hundred in cash.

Niall Long was the dealer, and he was found guilty on Thursday of the murder of Kieran Quilligan. Yesterday, his accomplice, Luke Taylor, was found guilty of the same crime. They will be sentenced to the mandatory period of life imprisonment on Wednesday, October 29, when the family of the deceased will have an opportunity to present their victim impact evidence.

On the morning of September 1, 2023, Kieran Quilligan and another man were short €5 or €10 for €200 worth of drugs they were buying from Niall Long. There was a row, and Niall Long was robbed.

At around 9pm that night, Luke Taylor walked through town with Kieran Quilligan and lured him to a laneway by St Fin Barre’s cathedral. Invisible to the victim was Niall Long and his car, which had been reversed into the top of the lane around a bend at the top.

Mr Quilligan was beaten and thrown into the boot of the car. Within 20 minutes, the two murderers and their victim were in East Cork, where Mr Quilligan’s body was dumped. They returned in the early hours of September 4, and moved the body to an even more remote spot.

An extensive search with the help of a cadaver dog located the remains four months later. Long and Taylor were charged with murder.

Before finding Niall Long guilty on October 23, the jury asked to see a transcript of the evidence of Dr Margot Bolster, assistant pathologist.

Dr Bolster said in her evidence that while the precise cause of death could not be determined, the injuries were “consistent with severe assault in the laneway”. Investigating gardaí had informed Dr Bolster of their allegations that he was assaulted on the steps of the laneway at the side of St Fin Barre’s cathedral.

Dr Bolster testified that she went to an area known as Whitewell on January 29, 2024, where the skeletal remains were found in a jute bag in a ravine at the side of a road, partly covered by mud and vegetation. The first thing she saw was the pelvic bone protruding and she said that “the skull was totally separated from the body”. She said there were old healed fractures to the remains, but there were multiple fractures described as perimortem — occurring close to the time of death. They included several significant skull and facial-area fractures, as well as numerous rib fractures.

Referring to a femur fracture she found “a circular indentation, suggestive of a blow from a blunt weapon like a hammer”. Later, Dr Bolster referred to other “circular injuries, strongly suggestive of hammer blows”. Yesterday, as they continued to deliberate on Taylor’s case, they asked to see the transcript of evidence of a couple who heard a row on the lane where the deceased was last seen. The jury also asked to see a transcript of the evidence of Detective Garda Alan Crowley who found scarcely visible blood traces in the boot of the Toyota Rav4, driven by Niall Long, which were later found to be a DNA match for Kieran Quilligan.

Within an hour of receiving these transcripts, the jury returned with their second unanimous decision, effectively bringing the 13-day trial to an end. Luke Taylor, aged 28, was found guilty of murdering Kieran Quilligan.

The jury returned this unanimous verdict at 12.30pm yesterday. It followed five hours and 45 minutes of deliberating, which commenced on Wednesday.

Sentencing was adjourned until October 29, when the mandatory life sentence will be imposed on Luke Taylor and on Niall Long, who was found guilty of the same murder on Thursday. There will be an opportunity for Kieran Quilligan’s family to present victim impact evidence on Wednesday next.

Luke Taylor, formerly of Cherry Lawn, Blackrock, Cork, and 33-year-old Niall Long, formerly of St Michael’s Close, Mahon, Cork, now both stand convicted of the same charge of murder.

The murder count which each man denied, was that between September 1, 2023, and January 29, 2024, at an unknown location within the State in the District Court area of Cork city they did murder Kieran Quilligan, aged 47, contrary to common law.