Former Garda boss recounts chilling way murderer saw tragic Bettina before her death
Louise Walsh
A former Garda Chief Superintendent has given a chilling recount of how the murderer of Bettina Poeschel first spotted the German tourist and how he concealed the body so well, he actually preserved his DNA
Former Garda chief of the Louth/Meath division Mick Finnegan headed the investigations into the disappearance of the journalist in Donore, Co. Meath 25 years ago.
He recalled how rain and missing a bus by only three minutes all led to the 28 year old walking past the work site of Michael Murphy who was convicted of her murder.
Bettina had been staying with a friend in Dublin and had travelled by train to Drogheda because she wanted to visit the Newgrange tourist site. She had missed the connecting bus by three minutes and decided to walk instead of waiting over an hour for the next one.
"The M1 motorway was being built and the night before it had absolutely rained torrentially and the motorway was flooded and the workers were sitting waiting for it to be pumped dry before they could recommence work on it," he said.
"They were sitting in a hut drinking a cup of tea. Bettina passed by and it was noted that one of the fellas in the hut paid particular attention to her and shortly afterwards he said to the remainder of the workers that he was going into Drogheda to feed his dogs."
That man was Michael Murphy and the workers saw that he drove in the opposite direction to Donore and not Drogheda.
Bettina was only reported missing the following evening by her friend in Dublin and a search immediately commenced.
"All houses were visited, all lands were searched, everything was searched right out to Donore.
"And then information came forward which proved to be unreliable and wrong at the time that she had gone through Donore village and had walked out towards the Interpreter Centre which in fact never happened because she never reached the village at all. "
More information about a lady wearing distinctive red shoes, similar to those of Bettina, hitch hiking opposite the interpretative centre was also ruled out when the hitch hiker came forward.
"Just over two weeks had elapsed and eventually one day two guards, Pat Kelly from Drogheda who was on the search party and Oliver Keegan from Ashbourne went into the woods again and through a hole that you wouldn't put a small dog through.
"However, they got through it and in shrubbery, weeds, briars and all kinds of coverage, they found Bettina's body. She had been murdered in the wood and Murphy returned that night to conceal her body and did a very good job on it.
"There was still DNA on the body due to the fact that it was so well concealed. And eventually it was DNA that convicted him of murder and he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
"It was a senseless murder and pre-planned. He saw her going out and sold a dummy to the lads that were sitting with him drinking tea.
"We established that he never reached his house to feed any dogs. He had never reached there at all and we were able to establish that he turned and went out, followed her out.
In an interview with LMFM Radio, Mick said that every time he passed her shrine where she died, he would say a prayer.
"I remember we met the parents at the time they were over and all her family. They were absolutely devastated and said that was her life. She was into the likes of Newgrange, all that type of thing. She travelled Europe for it.
"She was a journalist in Germany and loved walking and loved that type of thing. And sadly if it hadn't rained the night before she'd be alive today probably. But they couldn't walk on the road because the road was flooded.
"Thank God the body was found because he made a super job in concealing the body and if he didn't conceal it so well the DNA may not have been found."