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# graham dwyer
The five key locations of a deadly affair
From an anonymous suburban apartment block to a lonely, windswept reservoir – each played an important role in catching Elaine’s killer.
THROUGHOUT THE GRAHAM Dwyer trial, a number of locations were mentioned as being important to both the accused, Dwyer, and the victim, Elaine O’Hara.
From the location where Elaine was last seen, to the road that Dwyer worked on, all have been focused on at various points in the trial.
Graham Dwyer (42) pleaded not guilty to the murder of Elaine O’Hara on 22 August 2013. After seven hours and 33 minutes of deliberations, a jury found him guilty of Elaine O’Hara’s murder.
Here are the five major locations in the trial:
Shanganagh Cemetery
Elaine O’Hara (36), a childcare worker, was last seen alive at this location.
Ms O’Hara had been discharged from hospital on 22 August 2012, the day she went missing.
Her car was found at the cemetery on 24 August 2012, two days after she went missing.
Her late mother was buried in the graveyard here.
A jogger testified during the trial that he gave directions to Ms O’Hara to a railway bridge near this cemetery on the evening she disappeared.
He said he was jogging and later met her on that bridge. “She was walking towards the seafront,” he said.
Belarmine Plaza
Elaine O’Hara had lived in Belarmine Plaza in Stepaside for a number of years.
She was last seen leaving Belarmine Plaza at around 5.05pm on 22 August 2012.
CCTV footage from her apartment building was shown during the trial.
The footage allegedly showed Graham Dwyer outside her home a month before she went missing. The court heard that the footage showed the accused at Elaine O’Hara’s apartment nine times.
Killakee Mountain, Rathfarnham
Elaine O’Hara was reported missing in August 2012.
In September 2013, human skeletal remains were discovered at Killakee Mountain by a member of the public.
The remains were examined by the State pathologist, and on 17 September 2013 it was confirmed that the remains were those of Elaine O’Hara.
By September 18, a second scene was being examined. This was in Co Wicklow: Vartry Reservoir.
Vartry Reservoir, Co Wicklow
In the summer of 2013, the warm and dry weather led to a drop in water levels at this reservoir in Roundwood. The R765 road travels along the top of the dam/embankment.
Two men out fishing there spotted something “shiny” in the water, the court heard. The area was later searched by officers after one of the men contacted the gardaí.
Items recovered from the water included a rucksack, set of keys, loyalty cards, handcuffs, a rope, and two Nokia mobile phones. These would all prove crucial to the prosecution’s case.
The information that was subsequently discovered on these phones played a pivotal part in the trial of Graham Dwyer.
The Nokia phones were purchased together and only used to contact each other. Each of them had only the other phone’s number saved in its contacts: SLV and MSTR.
The State referred to them as the Master phone and Slave phone during the trial and it was alleged that they were being used by the accused and the deceased.
The text messages between the Master and Slave phones gave an insight into the relationship between the phones’ users.
Baggot Street
Located on Baggot Street Lower is A&D Wejchert and Partners, the architects’ office were Graham Dwyer worked.
On 25 October 2013, Graham Dwyer was charged with the murder of Elaine O’Hara.
His office was searched during the investigation, and during his trial, it was heard that Graham Dwyer drew gardaí a map that led them to two knives in the basement of his office here.
All of these locations would provide evidence that helped a jury decide that on 22 August 2012, Grham Dwyer murdered Elaine O’Hara. He will be sentenced in April.
Read: Jury in Graham Dwyer trial begin deliberating verdict>
Read all of our coverage of the Graham Dwyer trial>
