58 - Murder by Mistake: Melanie McCarthy McNamara

Mens Rea: A true crime podcast

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True Crime, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 5 January 2020

⏱️ 55 minutes

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Summary

Gangs and drugs effect nearly every community. But in 2012, the Dublin suburb of Tallaght was shocked by the spillover of violence. 16 year old Melanie McCarthy McNamara was shot while she sat in the back of a parked car on a residential street. The gunman had shot from the back of a black SUV and sped off immediately. Two men alleged to be involved in drugs locally were identified by gardai, and after protracted court battles have found themselves in prison in relation to Melanie's killing. Find us on Facebook or Twitter! With thanks to our supporters on Patreon! Donate today to get access to bonus and ad-free episodes! Our featured podcast this week is from the forthcoming podcast called Scene of the Crime. Season One is a deep-dive into the unsolved 2017 murder of Abby Williams and Libby German in Delphi Indiana. Find the show here, and be sure to subscribe! ********* Theme Music: Quinn’s Song: The Dance Begins Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Additional Music: Allemande (Sting) by Wahneta Meixsell. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ********* Sources: Conor Lally and Stephen Carroll, “ Youngest victim of gang crime was not target, gardai say” in The Irish Times (9 February 2012) p. 1. Conor Lally, “Girl was killed in well-planned attack, say gardai” in The Irish Times (9 February 2012) p. 3. Stephen Carroll, “Residents express shock at violence against 'young girl'” in The Irish Times (9 February 2012) p. 3. Conor Lally, “Gardai identify two men linked to murder of Tallaght teenager” in The Irish Independent (10 February 2012) p. 5. Conor Lally, “Suspects in girl's murder on run in Ireland” in The Irish Times (11 February 2012) p. 7. “Two arrested over Dublin teen killing” in The Irish Times (17 February 2012) p. 6. Mark Hennessy, “London funeral for shooting victim” in The Irish Times (18 February 2012) p. 7. Pamela Duncan, “Man charged with shotgun murder of teenager” in The Irish Times (22 February 2012) p. 4. “Teenager in court on drugs charges denied bail” in The Irish Times (4 May 2012) p. 4. Conor Lally, Man to appear in court over fatal shooting of teenager” in The Irish Times (2 October 2012) p. 6. “Youth (17) charged with murder of teenage girl” in The Irish Times (3 October 2012) p. 8. “Teenager faces murder trial” in The Irish Times (10 October 2012) p. 4. “Man jailed for 20 years over fatal drive-by shooting of teenager in car” in The Irish Times (1 August 2013) p. 6. Conor Lally, “Man jailed for death of girl is scalded” in The Irish Times (13 September 2013) p. 9. “Teenager pleads not guilty to murder of girl (16) in Tallaght” in The Irish Times (14 January 2014) p. 6. Natasha Reid, “Murder accused 'boasted about shooting girl'” In The Irish Times ( 15 January 2014) p. 6. Natasha Reid, “Hospital staff tell murder trial of efforts to save girl” in The Irish Times (16 January 2014) p. 16. “Youth was a protected prisoner” in The Irish Times (22 January 2014) p. 6. “Murder accused admits writing letters on killing” in The Irish Times (23 January 2014) p. 6. “Youth found guilty of murder” in The Irish Times (25 January 2014) p. 6. Ireland's Teen Killers TV3 (May 2016) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol21ZJshVKg Find a full list of sources at www.mensreapod.com

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to the mens rea podcast and this is the story of Melanie McCarthy McNamara. The Oh, Ireland isn't the first place that springs to mind when you think of gangland violence,
0:46.0	but the reality is that unlawful organizations have been a feature of life on this island for many, years and like many other places gangs and the
0:56.4	violence that goes along with them increased once the important sale of drugs
1:02.1	in Ireland became involved.
1:04.7	The first gangs in Ireland moved from robberies and bank heists into selling what would
1:09.7	become a scourge of working class areas, particularly in Dublin in the 1980s.
1:16.3	At first it was just cannabis thrown in with deals to bring guns into the country, but then
1:21.6	cannabis became heroin. The violence increased once more as this
1:26.3	criminal activity became a multi-million pound industry, and with so much money at stake, as gang leaders were jailed or killed or fled the country, others rose in their place.
1:38.0	This nearly inevitably led to power struggles and intra-gang violence. The violence was not contained in Dublin, though it was arguably the focus of activities.
1:50.0	Inevitably, feuds and turf wars spilled over and began to affect wider communities.
1:57.2	In a few cases, it had fatal results.
2:02.3	Melanie McCarthy McNamara was born in 1998. She was the eldest child of Stephen
2:09.0	She was the eldest child of Stephen Shaky McCarthy and Melissa McNamara and she and her family were settled members of the traveling community.
2:15.0	Her parents were both originally from Limerick but Melanie grew up in London in Kentish town.
2:21.0	Melanie was like a second mom to her younger siblings and she loved looking after them.
2:27.2	She was a vivacious energetic girly girl who loved dressing up and looking well.
2:37.8	Eventually Melanie moved from London to Tallah on the west side of Dublin, where she and her family lived for a number of years. At 16, Melanie moved out of her parents home and in with her boyfriend,
2:45.3	Christopher Moran, and his family in a house on Drumkarn Avenue.
2:50.5	Christopher was from a similar background and was a few years older than Melanie.
2:55.0	The two planned to be married and were beginning their lives together.
3:00.0	On Tuesday the 7th of February, Melanie McCarthy McNamara was just a few weeks away from her 17th birthday.
	...

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