The trial of the man accused of murdering Irish school teacher Ashling Murphy in County Offaly last year has been delayed again.
Jozef Puska, 32, with an address in Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, County Offaly, is charged with the murder of Ashling Murphy, 23, in Tullamore on January 12, 2022.
His trial was due to begin in the Central Criminal Court today, Monday, October 2, but has been delayed for two weeks.
The court heard on Monday morning that there will be a requirement for a pre-trial hearing before a jury is selected.
Puska, who was arrested in January 2022 in connection with Murphy's murder, was initially due to go on trial in June, but the prosecution requested extra time to respond to an expert report provided by the defense.
Mr. Justice Paul McDermott agreed to move the trial to Monday, October 2.
Puska faces a mandatory life sentence if found guilty of the murder.
Murphy was going for a run along the Grand Canal in Tullamore when she was fatally assaulted in broad daylight on January 12, 2022.
The murder of the 23-year-old schoolteacher caused widespread shock in Ireland and among the global Irish community, with dozens of vigils taking place around the country.
Murphy was a gifted traditional Irish musician and a talented camogie player and had recently graduated from Mary Immaculate College in Limerick. She was working as a primary school teacher at Durrow National School and had just taken up jogging as a New Year's resolution.
President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins attended Murphy's funeral in January 2022, paying tribute to her "short but brilliant and generous life". Her funeral was also attended by then-Taoiseach Micheál Martin and several other Irish politicians.
In May 2022, a memorial was erected on the banks of the Grand Canal near Tullamore paying tribute to Murphy.
The memorial, which features a cross and flowers, stands along a paved section of the canal near where Murphy was killed last year.
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