Courts / Limerick / Report

Conviction of Limerick man for murder of retired solider upheld

Summary

The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal of Christopher McNamara, a 24‑year‑old from Limerick, who had been convicted of murdering a 71‑year‑old retired soldier, James Boyce, in March 2011. The two‑week trial in January 2014 heard that McNamara had confessed to the killing to his mother and that the victim and the accused were friendly, with the younger man tending to the older man's property. The jury found McNamara guilty of murder after an hour‑and‑a‑half of deliberations, and he was sentenced to mandatory life imprisonment by Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan on 24 January 2014. The prosecution argued the case was a robbery that went wrong, noting that Boyce was a frugal man who kept his savings at home. The Court of Appeal focused on the trial judge's brief explanation of the distinction between murder and manslaughter, concluding that the judge's charge was adequate and the appeal was dismissed.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Conviction of Limerick man for murder of retired solider upheld. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

• March 2011 Hearing Or Sentence
• March 6 2011 Hearing Or Sentence
• March 7 2011 Hearing Or Sentence
• January 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
• January 24, 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2017-03-03 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal Theft Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report