Courts / Dublin / Report

Man found not guilty of murdering Dublin granddad by reason of insanity

Date
2016-02-03

Stage
Trial

Primary locality
Skerries

County
Dublin

Summary

A 30‑year‑old man, Dragos Nica of Mourne Park, Skerries, was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the murder of Michael Gannon, 55, at Gannon's home on 14 November 2013. Nica, originally from Bacau, Romania, had lived in Ireland for 19 years and claimed he believed Gannon's daughter Jade had poisoned him. He said he woke with a numb finger and a "bubbling" arm, and that he was panicking and wanted to "take it out on the world." He armed himself with a second knife and went to Jade's house, where Gannon was babysitting children. Gannon was stabbed in the chest and died a few feet from the wound. Nica called emergency services after the attack. Two psychiatrists testified that Nica was suffering from an acute psychosis of schizophrenia at the time of the stabbing.