Dublin: Several family members of convicted murderer Josef Puska have been sentenced for their roles in concealing evidence and withholding information following the murder of schoolteacher Ashling Murphy in January 2022.
Puska, who was convicted of Murphy’s murder in 2023, is serving a life sentence. His brothers, Marek Puska and Lubomir Puska, along with his wife, Lucia Istokova, were found guilty of withholding information from Gardaí—an offence carrying a maximum penalty of five years. The court sentenced Marek and Lubomir to two and a half years each, and Istokova to 20 months in prison.
According to legal experts, the trio are among the first people in Ireland to be prosecuted under this specific offence of concealing material information related to a murder investigation.
Two of Puska’s sisters-in-law, Viera Gasciova and Josefina Grundsova, were convicted of destroying evidence by burning the clothes worn by Puska after the murder. Gasciova received a two-year sentence, while Grundsova was sentenced to 21 months. The offence carries a maximum sentence of ten years.
During sentencing, Justice Biggs noted that the court had taken into account mitigating factors, including the defendants’ lack of prior convictions, expressed remorse, and cooperation with Gardaí. The court also considered the fact that the defendants are parents to 14 children, for whom Tusla has made care arrangements.
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