Park ranger, 49, told cops he’d ‘murdered wife & kids’ before shocking discovery at rural home, court hears
A MUM-of-three was found lying in the foetal position on the floor of a campervan with her bloodied hand protruding outside the sliding door and a child’s car seat over her face, a murder trial has heard.
A garda also told the Central Criminal Court jury today that Valerie French Kilroy’s three children were found in their rural home hungry and “very dehydrated”.
One child requested Kellogg’s Coco Pops, which the garda witness went out to buy.
Park ranger James Kilroy, 49, with an address at Kilbree Lower, Westport, Co Mayo is charged with murdering occupational therapist Ms French Kilroy, 41, at their home on a date unknown between June 13 2019 and June 14 2019, both dates inclusive.
He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
Giving evidence today, Garda Colm Boyle from Westport Garda Station told Anne Marie Lawlor SC, prosecuting, that he was informed the accused had “made confessions” to his colleague Garda Leanne Nallen on the afternoon of June 14 “that he had murdered his wife and kids”.
Gda Boyle told the court he went with Sergeant Kieran McGinty to the Kilroy home where he found three very young and extremely distressed children crying very loudly.
He said: “With the information we had received there was a possibility of three or four bodies, obviously when we saw the children were ok our attention focused on the whereabouts of Ms French Kilroy.”
The witness said Gardai quickly ascertained after a search that Ms French Kilroy was not in the house.
Gda Boyle went outside to the farmyard where he found a green old style camper van in a shed.
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He said: “A wooden type chair was blocking my path so I walked around the front of the vehicle, when I walked I could see a hand hanging out the sliding door. It had three rings on the ring finger and a gash to the wrist.”
The body was that of Ms French Kilroy and she was lying on her left hand side in a curved position with her knees bent forward to her chest.
He said: “I couldn’t see her face as a [child’s] car seat was placed over it.”
The witness alerted Sgt McGinty and agreed with Ms Lawlor that it was immediately apparent it had been a violent death.
MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT
Earlier, consultant psychiatrist Dr Camilla Curtis from Mayo Mental Health Services told Ms Lawlor she assessed the accused on June 14 at Mayo University Hospital.
Dr Curtis said the purpose of her examining the accused was to determine if he fulfilled the criteria under the Mental Health Act to be admitted as an involuntary mental health patient. She said Mr Kilroy did not meet the criteria.
The witness spoke to Mr Kilroy and noted his thoughts were disordered and he was displaying some persecutory delusions.
She sadid: “He mentioned his wife was going to harm him, that God had a particular mission for him and that he had to follow some commandments.”
The accused described persecutory delusions which included the belief that Valerie wanted to kill him, that Vladimir Putin wanted to shoot him and that people were watching him, Dr Curtis said.
DR'S DECISION
Dr Curtis decided the accused should not be detained as she was not satisfied that he met the legal criteria for a mental disorder.
The witness decided that Mr Kilroy did not have a mental disorder and could not be detained for that reason. This was communicated to gardai and Mr Kilroy was clinically discharged.
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The witness told Mr Gageby that she had offered her opinion on his fitness to be interviewed by gardai and said she was satisfied that he was suffering from acute psychotic symptoms and was currently unwell but was not showing any signs of intoxication or withdrawal symptoms.
The trial continues tomorrow before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring and a jury of ten men and two women.