A 43-year-old man from Carndonagh, County Donegal, has been committed to the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum, Dublin, following a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity at the Central Criminal Court. The man stood accused of murdering his parents at their home in Churchtown in October 2014. A jury unanimously accepted his plea of insanity after less than an hour of deliberation. Evidence presented at trial established that the accused suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, experiencing delusions and auditory hallucinations in the months preceding the deaths. Justice Margaret Heneghan ordered his committal to the Central Mental Hospital, finding him to be suffering from mental disorder within the definition of the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006 and in need of inpatient psychiatric care. The judge extended sympathies to the family, commending their conduct throughout proceedings.
Source links
Original report plus public source leads and related archive reports used for review context.
Public source leads
- Donegal man who killed parents with axe believed he was helping them into Heaven - Irish Examiner Irish Examiner · Mon, 20 Jun 2016 07:00:00 GMT
- CARNDONAGH MAN WHO KILLED PARENTS WITH AXE 'NOT GUILTY' OF MURDER - Donegal Daily Donegal Daily · Wed, 08 Apr 2026 23:46:33 GMT
- Man who killed parents with axe found not guilty by reason of insanity - The Journal The Journal · Thu, 09 Jun 2016 07:00:00 GMT
- Man who killed parents with axe committed to mental hospital - The Irish Times The Irish Times · Mon, 20 Jun 2016 07:00:00 GMT
- Donegal man (43) who killed his parents with axe committed to psychiatric hospital by judge - The Irish News The Irish News · Mon, 20 Jun 2016 07:00:00 GMT
- Cuddihy committed to CMH - Irish Examiner Irish Examiner · Tue, 21 Jun 2016 07:00:00 GMT
- Carndonagh man pleads not guilty to murder of parents - Donegal News Donegal News · Tue, 07 Jun 2016 07:00:00 GMT
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