Tragic murder victim Marie Greene is to be buried today (February 25 ) in Cornamagh cemetery after 10.30 mass in St Mary’s church.
A retited soldier, Jimmy Devaney (63 ) of Millbrook Avenue, Monksland, was charged earlier this week (February 22 ) with the murder of the 37-year-old who had been missing from her home in St Mel’s Terrace for nine days.
Devaney said nothing during the three minute hearing, and was remanded in custody for one week until March 1 to Cloverhill court.
Detective Sgt Eamon Curley gave evidence how Devaney had been arrested at his home shortly before eight o’clock on Monday morning and charged with the murder at 5.25pm on Tuesday. He made no reply to the charge, Judge David Anderson was told.
Despite his being in receipt of an army pension of around €300 per week, Delaney’s solicitor Mr Tony McLynn applied for, and was granted legal aid.
He informed the court that his client would consent to the remand, but would be applying for High Court bail on Monday.
Marie Greene, who was single and the primary carer for her diabetic mother, left the family home at 9pm on Sunday, February 13, and gardai believe she was murdered later that evening at Tully Cross, Moydrum, in Athlone. Though unemployed she was well known around the town, and regularly walked her dog Scooby for exercise.
Gardaí had been “very concerned” as to Marie’s whereabouts very early in the investigation, as there had been no evidence of usage on either her mobile phone or ATM card from the night she went missing.
After an extensive investigation over the last 10 days led by Supt Aidan Glacken, gardaí sealed off an area of bogland about three kilometres outside Athlone on the Mullingar road on Monday morning and, after the State pathologist and the Garda Technichal Bureau had visited the scene, removed the body of the victim later that afternoon to the Regional Hospital in Tullamore where a post mortem was carried out. Initial reports indicate Marie was stabbed.
