The families of murdered Filipina student Jastine Valdez and her killer Mark Hennessy met to exchange condolences last Friday.
Ms Valdez (24) was abducted on Saturday, May 20th, while walking along the roadside near her home in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, and murdered shortly afterwards. Her body was found the following Monday, near Puck's Castle Lane, Rathmichael, Co Dublin.
Her abductor and murderer, Mark Hennessy (40), a father of two who lived in Bray, was shot and killed by a garda detective the day after Ms Valdez was killed.
He was shot while sitting in his car at Cherrywood Business Estate, Co Dublin, following a large manhunt to locate him by gardaí over the weekend. He was believed to have been holding a Stanley knife at the time.
The families of Ms Valdez and Mr Hennessy issued a short statement, which said “in the midst of our grief both the Valdez and Hennessy families met on Friday morning.”
The statement, issued on Sunday evening, said: “we exchanged sympathies with each other on the tragic circumstances that resulted in the loss of our respective love ones”.
“Both families request privacy at this very difficult time,” it said. The statement was released through the Garda press office.
Mr Hennessy's remains were cremated following a service in Mount Jerome Cemetery in Harold's Cross, south Dublin. The service was attended by around 100 people, including Mr Hennessy's mother and father who live in Ballybrack, south Dublin.
The body of Ms Valdez was laid out at Murphy's funeral home on Bray's Boghall Road, on Friday and Saturday. Her parents, Teresita and Danillo Valdez, wish to repatriate her remains to the Philippines to be buried.
