Grandmother died trying to defend herself jury told

MID WEST grandmother, Josie Ray, died trying to defend herself as her killer was strangling her in her bed, a court heard, Tuesday.

The 89-year old from St Joseph’s Park, Nenagh, suffered two broken neck bones as well as 44 bruises to her head, neck, face, shoulders, chest, arms and legs, it was heard.

African native, Hasan Ali Gori, (52), is on trial at the Central Criminal Court, in Limerick, accused Ms Ray’s murder on August 4, 2024, which he denies.

Closing the prosecution’s case Tuesday, senior counsel Lorcan Connolly, told the jury of nine men and three women that the “only appropriate verdict is guilty”.

Mr Connolly said Josie Ray and her daughter Mary had been inseparable, and that as Mary had an intellectual disability, and was described as a “vulnerable” adult, her mother had rarely left her out of her sight.

Josie Ray did not approve of her daughter having a relationship with Mr Gori, who had been living in emergency hostel accommodation.

When Mr Gori moved into Josie and Mary’s home there was a “sea-change” in the atmosphere in the house, said Mr Connolly.

Mr Gori’s presence in the house “collapsed the household and led to the unlawful killing of Josie Ray” argued Mr Connolly. The prosecuting barrister said that “from the outset” Mr Gori’s presence at the house led to “frequent arguments”, forcing concerned neighbours to alert the gardai.

Mr Connolly said the evidence was that it was “not all one-sided”, and that witnesses had told the trial that they had seen Josie Ray wave her stick at Mr Gori, hit him with a poker, and call him a “black bastard”.

Mr Connolly argued these “racist overtones” would have “annoyed” and “upset” Mr Gori and tensions between the accused, Mary and Josie escalated.

Witnesses reported seeing Mr Gori head-butting Mary Ray on the evening before her mother’s body was found, and said that he told her he was sick of living with her mother, and that either he or Josie would have to leave the house.

During one response to the house, prior to Ms Ray’s death, gardai asked Mr Gori to leave the property and he replied with “‘over my dead body’ kind of talk”, said Mr Connolly.

Mr Connolly argued Mr Gori had “motive” and “opportunity” to murder Josie Ray.

“He’d struck lucky, he had a roof over his head, he had an attachment to the house.”

He argued Mr Gori, who had no income, had successfully been added to Mary Ray’s disability allowance, resulting in an additional payment of €154 a week. Mr Connolly said Mr Gori was feeling the pressure when it emerged he was an illegal tenant in the local authority owned house.

Counsel added that on the afternoon Josie Ray’s body was found, Mr Gori was allegedly overheard telling Mary Ray to “shut up” and stop crying, and that her mother was “old” and “she was going to die anyway”.

“How’s that for callousness,” added Mr Connolly. Despite her ailing years “Josie Ray didn’t go down without a fight”, he said. Mr Connolly told the jury it was the prosecution’s case that Josie Ray received bruises to her arms in trying to fend off her killer.

Gardai found Mr Gori’s DNA on Josie Ray’s right hand and under her fingernails. Mr Connolly argued this was “significant” in the prosecution’s case. “Unbeknownst to Hasan Ali Gori, he had left his calling card, his DNA under Josie Ray’s fingernails.”

Mr Gori told investigating gardai that Mary had often touched his hand when asking him to do tasks for her, and that they had touched the same things in the house, and that they had hugged.

A forensic doctor told the trial the DNA evidence may not be significant as DNA can be transferred between persons living in shared accommodation without them touching one another.

Mr Connolly noted there was no evidence in the three-week trial to suggest the accused and Josie Ray had been “huggers”. Mr Connolly said Mr Gori had gone on a “rant” in garda custody after his arrest when a questioning detective put it to him he was no longer living at the house in Nenagh and “now your life has fallen apart, you are living in Limerick in a tent with the rats”.

Gardai put it to Mr Gori: “You thought by murdering Josie, that you’d have (her) house.” The accused replied: “I know nothing.”

Mr Gori’s barrister, senior counsel Aiden Doyle, will deliver his closing speech to the jury later this afternoon. After that, the trial judge, Mr Justice Sean Gillane, will charge the jury before sending them out to deliberate on a verdict.