Man convicted of manslaughter of drug dealer and leaving body in wardrobe

Eoin Reynolds

After a trial lasting 10 weeks, a drug user has been convicted of manslaughter for the killing of a drug dealer whose body he left in a wardrobe in his home for four days.

The Central Criminal Court jury took more than 12 hours to reach their majority, ten to two, verdict, acquitting Dean Caffrey of murder but holding him responsible for the unlawful killing of 28-year-old Sean McCarthy.

Caffrey (38) of Beaucort, Achill Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9 went on trial in October after he pleaded not guilty to McCarthy's murder at Beaucort on August 2nd, 2022.

The court heard that Caffrey was a cocaine and cannabis user who had amassed drug debts that were taken on by Sean McCarthy, a drug dealer known to gardaí.

In part payment for his debt, Caffrey allowed McCarthy to use his apartment in Drumcondra to store drugs. However, McCarthy had his own drug debts and had been the subject of threats and at least one assault in the period leading up to August 2022.

Caffrey told gardaí during interviews that on the day McCarthy died, the deceased came to his apartment in an agitated state and accused him of stealing heroin, demanded €5,000 and threatened him that he would "leave in a body bag".

Caffrey said he lunged for the weapon when McCarthy was momentarily distracted by a noise and in a struggle, the gun went off, causing the fatal injury to McCarthy. A pathologist's report confirmed that he died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

With McCarthy dead in his apartment, Caffrey used money he took from the dead man's pocket to buy cocaine and later went to Dunnes Stores where he bought a suitcase.

He went home, and attempted to put McCarthy into the suitcase but the body did not fit. Caffrey then placed the body, partially inside the suitcase, into a wardrobe. In the following days, he went to work and visited his ex-girlfriend's house while a number of neighbours recalled speaking to him but they didn't notice anything unusual.

After a few days, members of McCarthy's family became suspicious of Caffrey and called to his family home looking for him. Four days after the killing, Caffrey went to Ashbourne Garda Station and told gardai where they would find the body.

The jury had been asked to consider whether Caffrey acted in self-defence and whether he used reasonable force in doing so.