Suspects are the lifeblood of any serious-crime investigation. Occasionally, the finger of suspicion will point towards a particular individual or individuals. The modus operandi may lead the investigation team in a particular direction, as many criminals have peculiar characteristics in the way they operate, such as how they gained entry, their target, the type of violence used, if any, and so on.
Having reviewed this particular crime, the modus operandi just didn’t make sense. If the intruders wanted jewellery and were prepared, according to Catherine, to kill for it, why did they not take even one single item of jewellery? There was even ambiguity as to whether one, two or even three raiders had been involved. Catherine’s life was threatened but Tom was killed for no apparent reason. There was no forced entry. Her story was packed with so many holes that suspicion had to be focused on her. But did anyone else enter the frame as a suspect?
Patrick (Dutchy) Holland, a prime suspect in the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin, had a home in nearby Brittas Bay and was well known to the locals. He was regarded as one of Ireland’s most dangerous and unpredictable criminals, and as a professional hit man. He knew the locality very well and was seen in Jack White’s on many occasions. Locals described him as inoffensive, quiet, and a bit of a loner. He had spent his adult life in and out of prisons. (He died recently while serving a lengthy prison sentence for possessing drugs with intent to supply.) There was justification for regarding Holland as a likely suspect in the execution of Tom Nevin but not sufficient evidence to sustain a charge, or even to justify a charge being put against him.
Many criminals were named as likely suspects for the shooting, but evidence was never obtained to incriminate any of them.
Catherine had the most to gain from Tom Nevin’s death: she would become sole owner of the pub, the properties in Dublin, and the proceeds of two substantial insurance policies on him.
Two unguarded and incriminating remarks by her contributed greatly to a suspicion that she was herself involved in the murder of her husband. First of all, on 19 March, in conversation with Detectives Joe Collins and Jim McCawl, she stated that ‘the amount is in the books’ – a reference to the day’s takings. Neither Garda had any knowledge prior to this of any books, lodgements, or cash in the kitchen, where the body of her dead husband was lying. Tom had been doing the books when she went to bed, and she did not then, or indeed after the arrival of the Gardaí, enter the kitchen – if her account of events is to be believed. How then was she to know the amount that was in the cash books?
Secondly, she made reference to having got a smell of burning when she was in her bedroom. This was an attempt to convince everyone that she had been elsewhere when the fatal shot was fired; however, just a few minutes after the gunshot tests carried out by Gardaí, there was little if any smell remaining. Catherine’s phenomenal sense of smell is just not credible, considering that it took her about an hour to free herself when she had been tied up in the bedroom.
Another factor was that the pub staff had been told by Catherine that they would not be staying at the pub on the night of 18/19 March – which was most unusual. Her own words were: ‘No one, and I mean no one, is staying here tonight.’ The staff from experience knew not to question a direct command from Catherine.
Other suspects had been speedily taken out of the frame, leaving one obvious remaining suspect: Catherine Nevin.