JASTINE KILLER SHOT IN HIS CAR
Murderer had self-harmed before armed officer fired
JASTINE Valdez’s killer was shot dead in his car by an armed officer, it emerged last night.
The Garda Siochana Ombudsman’s Commission stated: “A service weapon was recovered from the scene.”
A fatal shot entered Mark Hennessy’s torso and a Stanley knife was also recovered from the car.
The GSOC report also noted “wounds consistent with self-harming”.
THE heartbroken mother of murdered Jastine Valdez passed out several times after seeing the battered body of her daughter, it emerged last night.
Close friend Karen Geograso, who joined the student’s parents at the morgue, revealed seeing her only child in such horrific circumstances was too much for mum Tess.
And she said she believes the family of crazed killer Mark Hennessy – shot dead by gardai on Sunday – have tried to make contact but Tess and husband Danilo are not ready to respond.
Speaking about the psycho, 41, who strangled the 24-year-old accountancy student and dumped her body before going on a €200 cocaine binge, Karen added: “Drink and drugs make people crazy.
“There are loads of good people but it’s just this influence that will make them evil.”
The woman, from Bray, Co Wicklow, who has known Danilo and Tess Valdez for more than 10 years, recalled the moment the couple visited the mortuary.
She said: “When they saw the body, how she died... her face was, oh my God, it’s very sad to see all the crushing on the face and there was a haematoma.
CRYING
“It was just, ‘Oh my God’, it gave them more [reality]. We were there for about an hour.
“Tess passed out three or four times and she was crying and crying.”
Karen said Jastine’s mum wasn’t able to leave for a while after the shock of identifying the body on Monday, hours after it was found.
She added: “The parents are totally devastated. Tess could hardly take it when she saw her daughter and the face and everything.
“She was the only child and even now she was a young lady but she was still the baby.”
A postmortem revealed on Tuesday that Hennessy strangled Jastine with his hands within an hour of abducting her from her home village of Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, on Saturday.
He dumped her body at Puck’s Castle in Rathmichael, South Dublin, and then went on a drink and drugfuelled pub crawl.
Jastine’s battered body was found lying in thick woodland, two days after she was bundled into a car by the construction worker.
The Irish Mirror revealed moments earlier he had called his wife and admitted: “I’ve done something awful.”
Karen spoke about how she has struggled to sleep since the murder, adding: “Every time I close my eyes I imagine the face of Jastine.”
The student’s body will be released on Sunday and she will be waked in Bray for people to pay their respects.
Caretaker Danilo and Tess have no relatives in Ireland but the Filipino community is providing support.
Enniskerry residents were united at an emotional vigil for Jastine on Monday night.
Karen said the outpouring of solidarity had meant a lot to the couple who travelled together to Ireland from the Philippines almost 20 years ago to begin a new life.
Just over three years ago Jastine joined them and they “were so happy to be reunited”.
But Karen stressed the vigil in Enniskerry, where prayers were said for the murderer’s family, should have been solely focused on the victim.
Asked if she believed it was important for prayers to be said for the Hennessys, she said: “No, for me it’s not really [important]. We could understand that if the purpose of the vigil was just for Jastine, it’s not really fair.
“I’m not [trying] to be rude but you should have to respect the feelings of the Filipino. It’s for Jastine, the purpose is for Jastine and it should be for her.
“I mean yes we all pray to God and people pray for him but it should be separate. It should be Hennessy [ family] for Hennessy.”
Asked if the killer’s relatives had got in touch and what she thought the response would be from the Valdez family, Karen said: “I know they [Hennessys] want to reach out.
“The family is going to apologise to Danilo and Tess but they’re not ready at this time.”
The nursing home carer told how despite Hennessy’s death there is a fear amongst the Filipino community after the horrific murder.
She added: “You cannot tell if it is safe to walk. There’s drugs, there’s porn, there’s everything.”
Karen said she is unsure if Danilo and Tess will remain in Ireland and
claimed the pain and memories could be too much for them to bear.
She added: “They are starting to accept the fact that their baby has already died but when they saw the body... how she died ... it’s very sad.”
Karen stressed while the Valdez family appreciate the money that has been raised, they did not start the campaign that was initiated by their friends.
More than €100,000 has been raised for Jastine’s memorial fund – 10 times the intended amount.
Meanwhile, the Garda Siochana Ombudsuman’s Commission last night released a report confirming Hennessy was in his car when he was shot by gardai.
The dad of two died after being blasted by an armed officer in the Cherrywood Business Park in Dublin on Sunday night.
The report stated: “A Garda service weapon was recovered from the scene by GSOC.
“The remaining ammunition and one spent cartridge was located in the firearm.
“A Stanley knife was subsequently recovered from the vehicle, the Nissan Qashqai, which had been the subject of a Garda alert in the preceding hours. A postmortem on Monday established the man identified as Mark Hennessy had been shot in the shoulder, and the bullet entered his torso causing fatal injuries.
“The deceased was in the driver’s seat at the time of the shooting.
“Other wounds consistent with selfharming were noted on his body.”
GSOC said it is still collecting evidence from the incident. The Garda watchdog has also appointed a family liaison officer to engage with Hennessy’s family.
They both had 2 children, partners and were normal looking people you wouldn’t suspect
FORMER DETECTIVE SERGEANT ALAN BAILEY YESTERDAY