A victim of the Hutch-Kinahan gangland feud was shot up to 13 times at close range just a short distance from his home six years ago with his mother witnessing flashes from the fatal gunshots, an inquest has heard.
Jason Molyneux (27) was killed after leaving his home in Dublin’s north inner city to visit a friend in the nearby James Larkin House flats complex off the North Strand around 9pm on January 30, 2018.
Molyneux, who was nicknamed “Buda”, was a known associate of the Hutch criminal gang which became involved in a bloody feud following the murder of a leading member of the Kinahan drugs cartel, David Byrne, in a daring attack at the Regency Hotel in Whitehall in February 2016.
The deceased had just returned from a wake for his close friend, Derek Coakley-Hutch – a nephew of veteran Dublin criminal Gerry “The Monk” Hutch – who had been shot 10 days earlier as he sat in a car at a halting site near Cloverhill Prison in west Dublin.
Gardaí believe that Coakley-Hutch was also shot as part of the Hutch-Kinahan feud that erupted following Byrne’s murder.
The shooting in the Regency Hotel was, in turn, seen as revenge for the murder of Gary Hutch in Spain in 2015 and sparked a violent feud that has claimed the lives of at least 18 people to date including Molyneux.
The victim’s mother, Liz Molyneux, who lived with her son and daughter, Donna, in North William Street, Dublin 1, told a sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court today that her son had returned home earlier that evening having attended a wake for his friend with his young son.
She told the inquest that he had not gone out earlier that morning as he believed people were watching their home and keeping track of his movements.
However, she said he had left in the afternoon to get a haircut and to pick up a suit before going to a removal in a nearby church.
Ms Molyneux said her son had been sitting on the couch with a friend in their home when he left alone at around 8.45pm to meet another friend. She recalled trying to contact him on his phone but getting no response.
Ms Molyneux said she was putting her boots on to go out to look for him when she heard a bang that she thought sounded like a banger going off. She told the hearing that she ran out onto her balcony and saw a flash followed by “a few more bangs and flashes.”
Ms Molyneux said she saw someone running back and forth looking like they were in a panic. The inquest heard she just knew that it was her son who had been shot and she shouted out at the gunman: “You dirty scumbag.”
She described jumping over a railing to rush to her son’s assistance where she held his head in her hands but got no response. Ms Molyneux remembered another woman, who came on the scene, felt her son’s head and told her she could still detect a pulse.
“I said ‘Be strong, Jason, be strong’ and he squeezed my hand,” she recalled.
Ms Molyneux was able to give a brief description of her son’s assailant who was carrying a gun in his right hand. She particularly noticed that he was running with his knees raised high up “like he was jumping hurdles” but did not see where he went.
Asked by coroner Clare Keane if she had been worried about her son given his concern about people watching his home, Ms Molyneux replied: “Of course.”
However, she said her son had never said if he was worried about himself.
Ms Molyneux subsequently said she recalled seeing a white van parked near their home the previous two days but had not really noticed the vehicle at the time.
A white Renault Kangoo van believed to have been used by the assailant and an accomplice was subsequently discovered near the Tom Clarke Bridge in Ringsend where attempts had been made to set it on fire.
The deceased’s sister, Donna Molyneux, told the inquest that she was also at home when she heard a bang that was “very loud and very bright.”
“The sky lit up,” she remarked. “I just knew it was him who was shot.”
She met someone later that evening who said they had witnessed the shooting and overheard the victim crying out: “Don’t do it.”
However, Ms Molyneux said the individual claimed they had only seen the “feet” of her brother’s assailant. The witness also highlighted how she had heard a large number of whistles from the road outside her home at the time of the shooting.
She claimed the number of whistles were “too many to be coming from one mouth.”
In reply to questions from Dr Keane, she said she believed the whistles were to alert people to what was going to happen and to let them know “which way was clear.”
She rang for an ambulance and her brother was rushed to the nearby Mater Hospital but he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Asked about her brother’s form earlier that day, she replied that it was “as normal as it could be coming from your friend’s wake.”
In a statement provided to the coroner, Aaron Coughlan, said the victim had called over to see him and had just left his apartment when he heard several bangs and rushed outside to see his friend lying on the ground.
“He did not look like he was shot but just knocked out as if he had fallen,” said Coughlan.
He recalled seeing the deceased’s mother with her son and calling out, “Bud, Bud, Bud” before asking the witness to fetch a glass of water. Coughlan said his friend “might have the weight of the world on his shoulders but would not show it”.
He told gardaí that he had not spoken to anyone that day who would have known the deceased. Coughlan said his friend had called to him to collect some money which he needed for the following day.
Former State pathologist, Marie Cassidy, who carried out a postmortem on Molyneux’s body said there were 13 bullet entry wounds including four to the left side of his head.
Prof Cassidy said the victim has died from multiple gunshot injuries including “rapidly fatal” wounds to his brain and well as extensive injuries to several vital organs including the lungs, heart, bowel, liver and spleen.
She estimated that at least 12 bullets had struck Mr Molyneux with most having been fired while he was in an upright position. Asked by the coroner how far away his assailant was, Prof Cassidy said it was probably “a couple of metres” but she could not be any more precise.
Inspector Ken Hoare told the inquest that Molyneux’s death was still an open Garda investigation.
While several arrests had been made in relation to the killing, Insp Hoare said no charges had been brought against anyone although a file on the case had been forwarded to the DPP.
“We remain committed to bringing the assailant to justice,” he added.
Insp Hoare said the killing had been the subject of a comprehensive investigation and gardaí were satisfied that a number of people had been “working in support of the gunman.”
He confirmed that gardaí also believed Molyneux’s killing was directly related to the murder of David Byrne. Molyneux, a father of one, was known to gardaí for his involvement in serious and organised crime and had over 120 criminal convictions to his name.
A jury of five men and three women returned a verdict of unlawful killing by person or persons unknown.
Offering her condolences to the deceased’s family, the coroner said there was no doubt that he had suffered “a violent and atrocious end.”
Dr Keane observed that his death must have been all the more difficult for his relatives because of their proximity to the scene of the fatal shooting on the night.
“I’m sure you are still living with it every day,” she remarked.
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