A 47-year-old man has been found guilty of the manslaughter of Kilbeggan pensioner Christy Hanley in May last year.
Noel Cawley, of no fixed abode but with a previous address at Castleblaney, Co Monaghan, has been remanded in custody for sentencing on Friday July 3.
The jury of nine men and three women took just over four hours to reach its unanimous verdict at the Central Criminal Court.
At the outset of the trial Cawley pleaded not guilty to murdering 83-year-old Mr Hanley at his home at Bridge Street, Kilbeggan on May 21 last year.
However, the charge of murder was reduced to manslaughter when Mr Justice McCarthy said he took the view that there was “a reasonable possibility that he (the accused ) did not intend to cause serious harm."
Mr Hanley, who was well-known in the area as a horse trader and was often observed with large amounts of cash, was found dead in his Kilbeggan home on May 21 last year.
His head was covered with a coat, his hands and feet were tied, and he had been severely beaten.
Cawley was also found guilty of robbing the pensioner of an unknown sum of money at the same date.
