Jastine Valdez"Both families request privacy at this very difficult time”
Reports have emerged of a meeting between the family of murdered student Jastine Valdez and the family of her killer Mark Hennessy.
Hennessy murdered Ms Valdez (24) after kidnapping her from near her home in Enniskerry in Wicklow on the evening of Saturday, 19 May.
He was then shot dead by gardai at 8pm on the following day in the Cherrywood Business Park.
Upon their meeting, the families released a joint statement, which read:
"In the midst of our grief both the Valdez and Hennessy families met on Friday morning where we exchanged sympathies with each other on the tragic circumstances that resulted in the loss of our respective loved ones," it read.
"Both families request privacy at this very difficult time”
News of the meeting comes after it emerged over the weekend that the Hennessy family had held a private funeral for their son.
The father of Mark Hennessy has described his family as "broken."
Killer Mark HennessyThe Hennessy family held a private funeral for their son at Mount Jerome Chapel in Dublin's Harold's Cross.
"For the past week, I have been waking every morning to see my darling sweetheart wife broken, broken," Hennessy's told mourners.
"I look at my sons and my daughters and they're broken. I look at Mark's uncles and auntie, cousins, nephews, nieces and his beautiful, beautiful daughters and they're broken and I can't fix them," he told the congregation at the funeral service on Saturday.
"To all the people who have come here today and to all of the people who have come through home, offering the shake of a hand, a cuddle, a peck on the cheek, words of encouragement...Thank you for coming into this nightmare to help us, because you have helped us so much more.
"To every single person on this planet who has had a kind thought for us, thank you - thank you."
