Man who stabbed drug dealer over €100 debt found guilty of manslaughter
A young father who stabbed a drug dealer to death in Dublin over a €100 debt has been found guilty of his manslaughter.
William Gilsenan went on trial for the murder of Edward Fitzgerald in October 2014, but the jury convicted him of the lesser charge this afternoon.
On October 17 2014, 24-year-old William Gilsenan was living at an apartment complex on Larch Hill in Santry, Dublin 9.
That afternoon, Edward Fitzgerald, a known drug dealer, drove to his home to collect an outstanding debt.
A row broke out in the car park when Mr. Gilsenan arrived at the scene.
He went into his apartment and returned a short time later with a kitchen knife which he used to stab his victim with.
A witness told Gardaí he then saw him wipe it clean and throw it away. Mr. Fitzgerald was pronounced dead in Beaumont hospital a short time later.
This afternoon, the jury found Mr. Gilsenan not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter after two and a half hours of deliberations.
He blew a kiss to some family members as he was being led away. The judge refused his application for bail despite his barrister’s plea to allow him spent Christmas with his young child.
His sentence hearing will take place next month.
