Published: Wednesday, 28th July, 2010 6:00pm

Cold case killer gets life for murder of her husband

By Olga Aughey and Helen Sweeney

"People here would prefer to forget all about the McGrath case," said a Coole resident yesterday (Tuesday), echoing the sentiments of those who were willing to speak about it all.

The Coole community maintained a dignified silence about the news that local woman Vera McGrath had been handed down a life sentence for the murder of her husband Brian, a killing which is estimated to have taken place back in 1987. There was no gossip at the local shop nor at the hairdressers as people allowed the news of the guilty verdict to sink in.

"The details of all of this were so horrific that we just want to forget all about it, we want to put this behind us and just move on," said the man.

"I have lived here all of my life and I was aware of the family and how they grew up and I can't say any more to you than that," said another resident.

"No one wants to say more than that and they shouldn't because all of this was just too gruesome to think on."

Sixty-one-year-old Vera McGrath began a mandatory life sentence on Monday night for her part in the murder of her husband Brian McGrath (43), at the family home in Coole, twenty three years ago.

Her former son-in-law, 47-year-old Colin Pinder, was found guilty of manslaughter at the central criminal court in Dublin last Friday. He was remanded in custody for sentencing on November 1.

It is the first successful cold-case murder conviction for An Garda Siochana and this investigation was launched in April 2008 as the new technology became available to the crack squad.

Shortly before 7pm on Monday night, the jury reached their majority verdict on Vera McGrath of ten to one, after a 17-year investigation by Gardaí, who discovered the charred remains of Mr McGrath in a grave in the back garden of the family home at Coole.

They were working on a tip-off from the chief-prosecution witness, Veronica McGrath, who is the daughter the accused woman and ex-wife of Colin Pinder, who gave a twelve page statement to Gardaí in November 1993. Veronica McGrath reportedly told Gardaí her father had died at the hands of Pinder and her mother, claiming she had hit him with a lump hammer, while Pinder beat him with a slash hook, some time in March 1987. A spanner and a monkey wrench were also allegedly used in the killing.

It is reported that state pathologist Marie Cassidy was unable to determine exactly how Mr McGrath met his death because only half of his skeleton was recovered.