B (12:28)

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C (13:25)

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A (13:58)

On June 26, 1996, 37 year old Veronica Guerin was shot and killed while waiting at a traffic light on a busy Dublin road. Authorities arrived on the scene within minutes. The Guardi cordoned off the roadway and added screens around Veronica's red sports car to shield her body from view. Meanwhile, ballistics and forensics teams moved in, carefully combing over the car for bullet casings and any other clues. The chief pathologist couldn't get to the scene for a few hours, so the entire time, Veronica's body was left in the car untouched. During that period, news of Veronica's death spread throughout the country. And soon journalists began gathering beyond the police tape. Many of them had been Veronica's colleagues. Reporters who had once competed with her for stories now stood shoulder to shoulder in stunned silence. One collapsed in grief and had to be helped away. By 3:45pm Less than three hours after the shooting, there were newspaper vendors set up 500 yards down the road. They waved freshly printed copies of the Evening Herald. The headline read, veronica Guerin is shot dead. Half an hour later, at Guardi headquarters, the superintendent addressed the press. He admitted that he'd known Veronica well, both personally and professionally, and that made the news of her death all the more difficult. Still, he promised the Guardi would pursue her killers with everything they had. But the police weren't the only ones speaking out. The prime minister addressed the nation, calling Veronica's assassination an attack on democracy itself. The Irish parliament observed a moment of silence, and editors across Ireland and Great Britain issued a joint statement. They declared that Veronica had been brave, brilliant and tenacious. They also made it clear that she'd been murdered for doing her job. This was an assault on press freedom. Journalists everywhere must refuse to be intimidated. Beneath all the public outrage lay a deeper reckoning. A realization that organized crime had spiraled out of control. Veronica was the first journalist ever killed in Ireland. The line had been crossed, and there was no going back. There was immense pressure on the Guardi to solve the case. Detectives began retracing Veronica's final days, looking closely at who had the motive, means and opportunity. They knew she had filed an assault complaint against John Gilligan. They also knew she had spent months exposing his drug operation. And so attention quickly narrowed to Gilligan and his inner circle. Two days after the murder, on June 28, Detective Rory Corcoran arrested Brian Meehan for driving without a license. At that point, the police had no idea Meehan had actually been on the motorcycle that pulled up next to Veronica's car, either as the driver or the shooter. All detective Corcoran knew was that Meehan was involved in Gilligan's gang, which immediately made him suspicious. The detective brought Meehan down to the station and put him in an interview room. Corcoran then asked him point blank whether he knew anything about Veronica's killing. Meehan was quick to deny any involvement, but he did say it was the talk of the underworld. Everyone wanted to know who did it. Before being released, Meehan scribbled his phone number on a cigarette box and handed it to the detective. It seemed like he was trying to be helpful, or at least trying to appear that way. But five days later, when Corcoran called him again asking if he'd heard anything new, Meehan said he hadn't. He obviously wasn't going to help. Meehan was a dead end as far as sources went, so detectives looked elsewhere. They discovered that John Gilligan had flown to Amsterdam the day before Veronica was killed. He'd bought the ticket nearly two weeks earlier, A detail that stood out to investigators. To the Guardi, it looked like he had been carefully constructing an alibi well in advance. But Gilligan wasn't the only one who fled Ireland. John Traynor, known as the coach and one of Veronica's longtime sources, Also disappeared in the immediate aftermath of her death. It was incredibly suspicious. That's when the police realized Veronica and Traynor had actually been feuding. Veronica had been preparing to publicly identify him as a drug dealer, and Traynor had filed an injunction to try to get her to stop. Now detectives wondered if he'd taken another route. If he couldn't count on the court to silence Veronica, he figured he could count on his criminal associates. Detectives suspected Traynor had provided Gilligan's gang with information about Veronica's movements on the morning of her death. If so, he could be the connective tissue tying the whole plot together. With so many moving parts, it wasn't long before the investigation ballooned at its height. More than 100 Guardi officers were assigned to the case. Over 1400 people were interviewed. Every possible lead was pursued. But the focus remained fixed on Gilligan and his organization. And sure enough, a breakthrough came from inside the gang itself. On October 5, 1996, just over three months after Veronica's murder, 33 year old Charles Bowden was arrested. He was the gang's weapons and logistics expert. He was questioned after the GUARDI raided a garage they believe was tied to Gilligan's drug operation. Initially, Bowdoin held firm, but under pressure, he cracked. He admitted the gang had smuggled 33 shipments of cannabis from the Netherlands into Ireland over the previous year. Once the dam broke, more followed. Bowden led the Guardi to a graveyard where the gang had buried a cache of guns and ammunition. Among them were 56 Magnum revolver bullets, the same type used to kill Veronica. In the face of overwhelming evidence, Bowden had to weigh his options. He could fight the charges coming his way and likely lose everything, or he could cooperate. That was when he made his choice. In exchange for immunity from murder charges, Bowden laid out the entire operation. He confirmed that Gilligan was the head of the organization. Then below him were Brian Meehan, Paul Ward, Patrick Holland, and Bowden himself. Odin claimed Gilligan had been furious over Veronica's assault complaint and he said that he was, quote, going to have something done about her. Bowden admitted that he had prepped and loaded the revolver used in the assassination before handing it off to other gang members. But he maintained that he believed the plan was just to threaten Veronica, not to kill her. Maybe that was self delusion or maybe it was a calculated lie. Either way, Bowdoin became the first person enrolled in Ireland's newly created witness Protection program. He would need it because his cooperation made him a marked man. One of the people Bowdoin implicated was Paul Hippo Ward. On October 16, 1996, the Guardi brought him in for questioning at headquarters. Over the next 14 hours, spread across five sessions, they interrogated Ward, but he didn't say a peep. On the second night, detectives changed tactics. They brought in Ward's girlfriend, Vanessa Meehan, who also happened to be Brian Meehan's sister. She and Ward spoke for an hour. Then at 10:35pm, Ward, the detectives returned. This time, Ward broke. He admitted that Meehan and Holland had approached him about the murder plot, but he said he wasn't the guy who pulled the trigger. The only thing he'd done was get rid of the gun and the motorcycle after the shooting. But when the authorities asked where he dumped the gun, Ward clammed up. He refused to answer and later he would deny that he ever admitted to anything. Meanwhile, John Gilligan was traveling all over the uk. He had left Amsterdam and gone on a quick trip to London. But as he Boarded his flight back to the Netherlands. He was arrested with the equivalent of $1.1 million in cash on his person. British authorities charged him with drug trafficking. Ireland soon followed with murder charges and 18 additional counts related to drugs and firearms. They requested his extradition so he could face the music back in Dublin. With his capture, it seemed the walls were crumbling down around the gang. Still, two central figures remained at large. Ryan Meehan and John Traynor. Police eventually found both of them in Amsterdam. In 1997, Meehan was extradited back to Ireland. Traynor was not. He evaded prosecution entirely, fueling public speculation that he had turned once again and become a guardee informant. It would make sense. He was always aligning himself with whoever offered the best protection. Over the next two years, the remaining players faced justice to some degree. In 1997, Patrick Dutchy Holland went on trial for drug charges. During testimony, a Guardi officer said she believed Holland was Veronica's killer. It was a widely held view within the force, even if they didn't have the proof to back it up. Holland was known as the Whig because he was a master of disguise. He was also Ireland's most notorious suspected contract killer. Authorities believed he had carried out multiple high profile murders. And they were convinced he was the passenger on the motorcycle who shattered Veronica's window and fired six times. But belief wasn't proof. Holland was never charged with Veronica's murder. Instead, he received 20 years for cannabis smuggling, which was eventually reduced to nine years on appeal. Although Charles Bowden had immunity for the killing, he he was sentenced to six years for weapons and drug charges. He served his time under 247 armed protection in prison. When he was eventually released, he was relocated to an unknown location through the witness protection program. While incarcerated, two of his fellow gang members turned inmates, including Russell Warren, the man who had tailed Veronica, cut deals with authorities. Their combined testimony proved decisive. In November 1998, Paul Ward was charged with Veronica's murder. The guardi didn't think he pulled the trigger. They believed him when he said he'd just gotten rid of the murder weapon and the motorcycle. But under Irish law, that was enough to try him for murder. And even if he hadn't been the one to actually shoot the gun, it was still some degree of justice for Veronica. During Ward's trial, Charles Bowden took the stand. His testimony sealed Ward's fate. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Brian Meehan followed suit, going to trial and getting convicted in July 1999. But this time the court rejected Bowden's testimony as unreliable because there were some discrepancies between him and other witnesses. However, they did accept Russell Warren's account, which detailed his surveillance calls that morning and placed Meehan at the scene of the crime. Based on all that, prosecutors argued Meehan had driven the motorcycle. The jury agreed. Meehan got a life sentence along with multiple concurrent sentences for drug and firearms offenses. After his arrest at Heathrow Airport, John Gilligan spent three years fighting extradition from England in the year 2000. He lost that battle. He was sent back to Ireland, where his trial began at the end of the year. Prosecutors argued that he had ordered the hit from Amsterdam to protect his drug empire. Witnesses testified to threats, surveillance and motive. Veronica's lawyer recounted a phone call where Gilligan allegedly threatened to kill her and harm her son. Russell Warren, who was still serving time, testified again. He said Gilligan had called from the Netherlands to tell him to surveil Veronica at the courthouse. Of course, 48 year old Gilligan denied any role in Veronica's killing and in March 2001, he was acquitted. The judge said there simply wasn't enough evidence, even though he noted there were grave suspicions about Gilligan's involvement. Still, Gilligan wasn't in the clear. He was also being tried for drug trafficking. He was sentenced to 28 years, which then got reduced to 20 years on appeal. Justice in the broad sense may have been served, but no one was ever convicted of pulling the trigger, which left the country with one question, who had actually killed Veronica Guerin?

B (30:20)

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A (30:51)

Hi listeners, it's Carter Roy. I wanted to take a moment to tell you about another show from Crime House that I know you'll love. America's Most Infamous Crimes, hosted by Katie Ring. Each week, Katie takes on a notorious crime, whether unfolding now or etched into American history, revealing not just what happened, but how it forever changed our society. Serial killers who terrorize cities, unsolved mysteries that keep detectives up at night, and investigations that change the way we think about justice. Each case unfolds across multiple episodes, released every Tuesday through Thursday. And the first sign that some something was wrong to the moment the truth came out or didn't. These are the stories behind the headlines. Listen to and follow America's most infamous crimes Tuesday through Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. By 2001, John Gilligan and his crew cronies were all convicted of one crime or another. But real justice for Veronica Guerin's murder proved far more elusive. Gilligan himself walked out of an Irish prison in October 2013. He was 61 years old and had served 17 years of a 20 year sentence for drug trafficking. He'd never been convicted of murdering Veronica, even though just about everyone believed he was responsible. But Gilligan continued to insist he had nothing to do with her death. He even denied ever assaulting her. By that point, though, hardly anyone was listening. After his release, Gilligan left Ireland for Spain. And apparently his long stint in prison didn't do much to change his habits. He went right back to drug smuggling until October 2020, when Spanish police raided his villa and found him running a new operation. This time he wasn't importing drugs to Ireland. He was the one exporting them. He'd been hiding them inside packages stuffed with children's toys and flip flops. During that raid, authorities found a.357 Magnum revolver buried in his garden. It was the same make and model as the gun used to kill Veronica. For a moment, it seemed like the murder weapon had finally surfaced 24 years later. But eventually the ballistics testing came back and it wasn't what authorities had hoped for. The gun was similar, but it wasn't the one used in Veronica's assassination. Still, Gilligan wasn't done with the justice system. In September 2023, the 71 year old stood trial in Spain for drug and weapons charges. That is, until his lawyers negotiated a plea deal. Gilligan admitted to drug trafficking and possession of the revolver. In exchange, he received a suspended 22 month sentence along with fines totaling just over €14,000, roughly $17,000. It was a slap on the wrist, and it wasn't enough to slow Gilligan Down. In December 2024, he was arrested again. This time, Spanish police said they uncovered what they described as a Breaking Bad style drug lab capable of producing up to over $9 million worth of drugs. Gilligan was held in custody for eight months before being released on bail in late summer 2025. As of now, 73 year old John Gilligan remains in Spain, barred from Leaving the country while authorities continue their investigation. But what about everyone else? Patrick Dutchy Holland, the man the Guardi always believed pulled the trigger, never answered for Veronica's murder. He was released from prison in April 2006 after serving nine years on drug charges. A year later, Holland was arrested in London for masterminding a 10 million pound kidnapping plot. On June 19, 2009, he was found dead in his prison cell. He was 70 years old. It appeared he died of natural causes. After his death, authorities discovered Holland had been recording an autobiography on cassette tapes. Those tapes were eventually given to the Irish Sunday Mirror which published excerpts. In them, Holland continued to deny killing Veronica. Then there was John Traynor, the informant who'd played both sides. Traynor fled Ireland after the murder and stayed on the run for 18 years. He was finally arrested in Amsterdam in 2010. At that time he was extradited to the UK where he served time for a bond scan. Traynor died of cancer on October 24, 2021. He never returned to Ireland to face any charges for Veronica's murder, feeding speculation that he'd been working as an informant. Brian Meehan, the man convicted as the motorcycle driver, remains in prison. He's now 58 years old and has served over 26 years years behind bars. He's been transferred to a low level prison where he's enrolled in pre release programs and housed in an independent living unit meant to ease long term prisoners back into society. He's already been granted limited day releases for medical appointments and more are likely. Meanwhile, Paul Ward received a life sentence for getting rid of the murder weapon. But that sentence was overturned in 2002 when his lawyers filed an appeal. They argued the testimony that put him behind bars was unreliable. The court agreed and Ward walked free. Veronica Guerin's murder changed Ireland. A year before her death, Veronica received the Committee to Protect Journalists International Press Freedom Award for her courage. She was an example of what investigative journalism could look like. But after she was killed, she became more than that. She became a symbol of what happens when organized crime is allowed to operate unchecked. Her killing triggered sweeping legislative changes. Ireland passed new laws to restrict bail for those charged with serious crimes. A formal witness protection program was also established. And most significantly, the government created the Criminal Assets Bureau. The agency has the power to seize any property that may have been purchased using criminal funds. It was an incredibly useful way to disrupt criminal enterprises. The CAB managed to dismantle John Gilligan's entire drug and empire that way. For the first time. The men who thought they were untouchable faced real consequences. And yet, despite all the arrests and reforms, only one person was ever actually convicted of murdering Veronica Guerin. The man most people think pulled the trigger, Patrick Holland, died without ever being charged. The man who probably ordered the hit, John Gilligan, lives freely in Spain, and the system that allowed a journalist to be threatened, beaten, and ultimately killed for doing her job only changed after it was too late. Veronica Guerin was 37 years old when she died. She was a wife, a mother, and a journalist who believed the public had the right to know what was really happening in their city. Today, Veronica is remembered across Ireland and beyond as a symbol of bravery in investigative journalism. Her name comes up whenever press freedom is under threat. There have been books, documentaries, and even a Hollywood film about her. She cited whenever journalists are warned to back off or choose not to, she looked dangerous men in the eye and asked questions they didn't want answered. She published stories that others were too afraid to touch. She refused to be intimidated. Even when the threats escalated, Veronica believed that the truth mattered, that if people really understood what was happening, they would demand change. She was right about that. It just cost her everything to prove it. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Carter Roy and this is Murder True Crime Stories. Come back next time for the story of a new murder and all the people it affected. True Crime Stories is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on social media, rimehouse on TikTok and Instagram. Don't forget to rate, review and follow Murder True Crime Stories wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference and to enhance your Murder True Crime Stories listening experience, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode ad free. We'll be back on Friday. True Crime Stories is hosted by me, Carter Roy and is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. This episode was brought to life by the Murder True Crime Stories team. Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Natalie Pertofsky, Sarah Kampf, Alex Burns, Haniya Said and Russell Nash. Thank you for listening. Thanks for listening to today's episode of Murder True Crime Stories. Not sure what to listen to next? Check out America's Most Infamous Crimes hosted by KT Ring. From serial killers to unless solved mysteries and game changing investigations, each week Katie takes on a notorious criminal case in American history. Listen to and follow America's Most infamous Crimes now. Wherever you listen to podcasts.