'No one to stop me': the Jasmine McMonagle murder trial

A man has been convicted of the murder of a woman in County Donegal in January 2019. The victim, a 28-year-old mother, was fatally beaten and strangled in her home in Killygordon following a distressed emergency call. Gardaí from Lifford attended the property within twenty minutes of the call. Armed response units conducted a forced entry after observing a child at an upstairs window. The accused was subdued with a taser after confronting officers with a hammer and refusing to comply with instructions. During subsequent garda interviews at Letterkenny station, the man admitted to the killing. He claimed he had lost control after becoming aware that the woman had contacted gardaí. Forensic psychiatric evidence presented at trial indicated the accused had experienced psychotic illness, auditory hallucinations, and persistent delusional beliefs about the victim's behaviour. The court heard evidence of his extensive history of substance abuse and previous psychiatric intervention. Two young children were present in the property at the time but were found unharmed.