A murder accused inquired about renting a storage unit while the body of a drug dealer who had been shot dead remained in his apartment, a trial has heard.
Dean Caffrey (38) denies murdering 28-year-old Sean McCarthy, whose body was found in a wardrobe of the accused's home four days after he had gone missing.
Mr Caffrey would later tell gardaí that the deceased had accused him of stealing heroin, came to his apartment with a gun and threatened that he would "leave in a body bag" if he didn't pay €5,000.
In her opening speech, prosecution counsel Kathleen Noctor SC said Mr Caffrey told gardaí there was a scuffle and he, the accused, secured the firearm and discharged it in the direction of Mr McCarthy, causing the fatal wound.
The prosecution intends to prove that Mr Caffrey intended to kill or cause serious injury to the deceased and that he is guilty of murder.
Mr Caffrey of Beaucort, Achill Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9 has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Sean McCarthy on a date between August 2nd and 7th 2022, both dates inclusive, in the State.
Emma Flynn on Tuesday told Ms Noctor that she works for U Store It in Dublin, a company providing short and long-term storage. She confirmed that on August 3rd, 2022, at 7.15pm, one day after the accused said the fatal scuffle took place, a man calling himself Dean Caffrey filled out an online form requesting a unit.
The request was for a 16-square-foot unit in the Charlestown depot, required within one week and for a period of one to three months to hold "household clutter".
The following day, Ms Flynn called the number attached to the online form and spoke with a male customer calling himself Dean. The man asked to reserve a 20-square-foot unit, but none were immediately available.
Ms Flynn told the customer she would call again when one did come available, but she cancelled the booking on August 11th after repeated efforts to contact him failed.
The witness agreed with defence counsel Kevin White BL that in filling out the online form, Mr Caffrey had used his own name, mobile number and email address.
He had also confirmed his address over the phone the following day as Beaucourt Avenue in Drumcondra and gave debit card details.
Ms Flynn agreed that background noise she noticed during the phone call would be consistent with Mr Caffrey having been working at Dublin Airport when she called.
The trial continues in front of Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of seven men and five women.
