Love Triangle Blow: Was Scarlett Faulkner Killed Over Her New Romance?

The Central Criminal Court in Dublin has heard that forensic scientists discovered DNA matching Scarlett Faulkner on a blood-stained metal pole, a crucial piece of evidence in the trial of two females accused of her murder. The prosecution alleges that the 28-year-old was beaten to death on the side of a busy road in County Tipperary earlier this year, a killing purportedly driven by a romantic rivalry. The trial, which continues before Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo and a jury of eight men and four women, centres on a 17-year-old girl who has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, and a 41-year-old woman who denies murder.

Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that the core of the prosecution’s case is a motive rooted in jealousy and betrayal. Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing SC, prosecuting, told the jury that the catalyst for the ferocious assault was the relationship between Ms Faulkner and the estranged husband of the older accused. The State alleges that the older woman and the teenage girl acted together in a joint enterprise to kill or cause serious injury to Ms Faulkner and the estranged husband. The older accused also faces separate charges of burglary and criminal damage at addresses in County Tipperary and County Limerick, to which she has pleaded not guilty.

The court was presented with detailed forensic testimony from Dr Liam Reynolds of Forensic Science Ireland. He told the jury that he examined a 64.5-centimetre metal pole, which had been recovered by An Garda Síochána during their investigation. The weapon, described as 4cm wide at its widest point with two flat and two concave faces, tapered to a point at one end. Dr Reynolds confirmed that he took samples from two distinct areas of blood staining on the pole—one near the tapered end and another 26cm further down its edge. The DNA profile from both areas matched that of Scarlett Faulkner. Further analysis of a pair of blue leggings, seized as evidence, revealed blood staining on the front and back that also matched Ms Faulkner’s DNA profile.

The court also heard that a pair of pyjama bottoms found during the investigation contained blood stains matching the DNA of the older accused. Detective Garda Barry Ahern outlined the extensive nature of the evidence gathering, detailing items seized from the scene, a Volkswagen car, a Ford Transit van, and several homes of interest. Within the Volkswagen, investigators discovered a baseball bat, a rusted piece of piping in the back seat, the leg of a coffee table in the front passenger seat, and a pitchfork in the boot. In the back of the Ford Transit van, gardaí found a plastic replica firearm beside two registration plates. Under cross-examination, scenes of crime examiner Garda Larry Stapleton acknowledged that while anyone holding the replica would know it was plastic, it could appear real from a distance.

The jury was shown CCTV and dashcam footage detailing the chaotic events leading up to the fatal assault. Garda Ray Sweeney, a forensic collision investigator, testified that both a Ford Transit van and a blue Volkswagen people-carrier were seen exiting the Birdhill roundabout on the R494 in Tipperary, between Nenagh and Limerick. As the vehicles climbed the hill heading south, the people-carrier pulled to the right and collided with the side of the van, pushing it towards the kerb. Both vehicles stopped, and their occupants exited while the Transit van rolled backwards into a crash barrier.

Garda Sweeney described how a female who left the Transit van ran downhill towards a Toyota Corolla that had pulled in and was attempting to turn around. She was followed by individuals who had exited the people-carrier. The female attempted to use the Toyota as a barrier between herself and her pursuers, but as the car pulled away, she fell to the ground. The court heard that damage to both the van and the people-carrier, which was not present in earlier footage from that day, indicated a prior collision between the two vehicles minutes before they reached the Birdhill roundabout. Despite this, both vehicles continued driving at speed until the second collision occurred. Garda Sweeney noted that when the occupants emerged, they showed no signs of injury.

The trial has also previously heard harrowing testimony from witnesses describing the final moments of Ms Faulkner’s life, with one witness recounting seeing a female “bashing” the deceased’s head by the side of the road. Another witness in a car with loud music playing could hear the sound of blows to the head. The jury has also been told that Ms Faulkner was “terrified” of the older woman accused of her murder. In a further twist, the court heard evidence of a call and text messages sent around the time of the incident, with one message chillingly stating: “Go and check if your whore of a sister is dead or alive.”