Jozef Puska has been found guilty of murdering primary school teacher Ashling Murphy in Tullamore after an attack on the Grand Canal towpath on a January afternoon. The court heard that Puska had been frustrated while stalking women earlier that day before cycling along the towpath and seeing Murphy walking alone around 3.20pm. Prosecutors say he dragged her down a steep ravine by the canal path, stabbed her 11 times in the neck, and slashed her once, damaging her voice box and causing massive blood loss. Witness Jenna Stack told the jury that she saw a luminous green bicycle placed into a hedge. She heard rustling in the briars and saw a man crouched over “something” with his face clearly visible, holding Murphy down. Stack said she believed Murphy was being attacked and saw her kicking hard as she tried to get help. Stack and another runner fled toward Digby Bridge and met people who could call the gardai. Mr Molloy cycled to the scene, where Murphy was found unresponsive in the briars and Puska had already gone. The investigation moved quickly. Within hours, gardai were taking witness statements and searching for CCTV. Stack identified Puska in an identification parade the following day, picking out number 6 with confidence. But forensic science laboratories initially reported that the suspect’s DNA did not match DNA found on the bicycle. The case was later brought to court, and the jury convicted Puska. Puska remains convicted following the trial verdict.