Murder accused texted girlfriend 'they’re trying to put me in the mix' after skeletal remains found

Olivia Kelleher

One of the men on trial for the murder of a man whose skeletal remains were found in a gravel bag in Co Cork texted his girlfriend weeks after the discovery was made, denying any involvement whilst stating: “They’re trying to put me in the mix.”

Gardaí found the remains of Kieran Quilligan (47) in a jute bag in a ravine at Whitewell, Rostellan, Co Cork on January 29th, 2024. He had been missing for five months.

Niall Long (33) and Luke Taylor (27) are on trial at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork, charged with his murder.

Prosecution senior counsel, Donal O’Sullivan, in his outline to the jury alleged that Kieran Quilligan and another man assaulted Niall Long on September 1st, 2023.

It is the case of the State that this was “an instigating factor” for what occurred afterwards.

The trial has now heard evidence from Det Garda Anne O’Sullivan. Det Garda O’Sullivan said that in March of 2024 one of the accused, Luķe Taylor, sent a text to his girlfriend saying that this man (Quilligan) “was killed in an unknown place unknown time.”

He further stated: “I’m not the person that was robbed. I had nothing to do with that.”

In the text exchange Luke Taylor insisted that his only involvement was that he bought drugs off Niall Long.“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.”

The jury also heard evidence from Rhona Campbell of the Garda Siochana Analysis Service. She gave a summary of extensive CCTV evidence in the case.

The case continues on Tuesday in front of Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford and the jury of ten men and two women. The Prosecution case has now closed.

Meanwhile, Kieran Quilligan was living with his partner in Simon Community housing in Cork city when he was last seen on September 1st, 2023. He was a native of Togher in Cork city.

The charge facing both accused is that the murder was carried out on a date unknown between September 1st, 2023, and January 29th, 2024, at an unknown location within the state of the District Court area of Cork city.

Niall Long previously of St Michael’s Close in Mahon in Cork and and Luke Taylor formerly of Cherry Lawn in Blackrock in the city both deny murdering Mr Quilligan.