Killer who was 'so drunk' on 'firewater' that he couldn't remember attacking sister's partner learns his fate
Ion Daghi and his wife Anghelina MelnicA 24-year-old man, who told gardai he was "so drunk" that he couldn't remember fatally stabbing his sister’s partner with a kitchen knife, has been jailed for eight years for the killing.Sentencing Valeriu Melnic at the Central Criminal Court today, Mr Justice David Keane said he accepted that the defendant was "heavily and voluntarily intoxicated" on the night, but found that his self-induced intoxication must be viewed as an aggravating factor rather than a mitigating one.In seeking a verdict of manslaughter for his client, Brendan Grehan SC, defending, told the jurors in his closing address last July that the issue of intoxication was "all over" the case and that the consumption of three bottles of "firewater" had an effect on everyone that night. Counsel submitted that whiskey can have a remarkable transformation on people's moods and how they behave.Join Irish Mirror's crime and court group on WhatsApp Get all the big crime and court stories direct to your phone on our new WhatsApp service. Sign up here. If you don't like our group you can leave it at any timeThe judge went on to say today that he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Melnic was not under "deadly attack" by his sister's partner that night and could have had no reasonable apprehension that he was. The jury had also heard evidence that before the stabbing, Melnic was squatting down trying to protect his head while the victim held the leg of a chair and told him: "Stop or I'll beat you one."Moldovan national Melnic, with an address at Calliaghstown Lower, Rathcoole, Co Dublin had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Ion Daghi (39) at The Close, Sallins Park, Sallins in Co Kildare on May 12, 2024.On July 22 this year, a jury found Melnic not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter, despite evidence he had told Mr Daghi "I will kill you" when the deceased had tried to calm him down.The court was told during Melnic's sentence hearing earlier this month that the defendant had sought to write to his sister in the aftermath of the killing but couldn't find the words.Mr Justice Keane also referred today to the "simple and heartrending" victim impact statement from the mother of the deceased man, Alexandra Daghi, about the "tragic and senseless death of her son".Ms Daghi said in her statement that she had suffered an "irreplaceable" loss and there "will always be a stain" on her heart. She also said the death of her son left her with endless pain and suffering.Melnic told gardai in his interviews that he couldn't remember stabbing his sister's partner with the knife as he was so drunk but later said that "all the evidence pointed" to him being "the only one responsible".The defence had asked for a verdict of manslaughter on the basis of intoxication or the partial defence of provocation, which can reduce an intentional killing from murder to manslaughter.The 12 jurors rejected the State's contention that the defences of provocation and intoxication were not open to Melnic.Before passing sentence today, Mr Justice Keane said Mr Daghi and the defendant's sister Angelina Spinu had been in a long-term relationship. The judge said there had been some prior differences of an unspecified kind between Melnic and Mr Daghi but they seemed to have been resolved.The judge said witness Alexandru Beccieu had been drinking with Melnic and Mr Daghi in the back garden that night when Mr Beccieu said the mood began to deteriorate and Melnic became verbally abusive. Mr Beccieu told the jury that Mr Daghi had calmed Melnic down.Mr Justice Keane accepted today that Melnic had later become abusive towards Mr Daghi. He said Ms Spinu said her brother had grabbed a knife in the kitchen, telling Mr Daghi "I will kill you" before pushing the knife into the deceased man's chest.The judge said he cannot know which of the defences had given rise to the jury's reasonable doubt on the charge of murder.Mr Justice Keane said the aggravating factor in the case was that Melnic had armed himself with a knife. He accepted that the defendant was the first to start a verbal and physical altercation with the deceased but could not be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that there was a considerable cooling off period between the incident in the back garden and the fatal stabbing of Mr Daghi inside the house.The judge set the headline sentence for the offence at 13 years. Mr Justice Keane noted that the defendant's most significant mitigation factor was his plea of guilty to manslaughter at the commencement of the trial, which was not accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions.The judge said a probation report found Melnic had maintained the position that he didn't remember inflicting the fatal stab wound as he was intoxicated. Mr Justice Keane said he shared the view of the probation service that Melnic has little insight into his personal wrongdoing and is reluctant to accept responsibility for his actions.Mr Justice Keane said Melnic was entitled to limited credit for cooperating with gardai and that incarceration may be more difficult for him as he is a non-Irish national. He said Melnic, who worked in the construction industry, had moved to Ireland four years ago as his two sisters were living here.Sentencing Melnic to ten years in prison, Mr Justice Keane said the probation services found the defendant had demonstrated a willingness to continue his engagement with them but that he had low motivation for rehabilitation and that greater insight into his offending was needed.The judge said he was willing to give Melnic the benefit of the doubt and would suspend the final two years of the ten year sentence for a period of two years. The sentence was backdated to when he went into custody on May 15, 2024.Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
