Darren Murphy wins appeal against murder conviction

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Darren Murphy won an appeal against his murder conviction at the Court of Appeal, reported on 15 December 2015. The conviction concerned Olivia Dunlea’s death at her home in Passage West, Cork, where Murphy had admitted killing her and setting fire to the house.

The court found errors in the trial judge’s directions to the jury about provocation and the possible verdicts. Murphy was remanded in custody to appear before the Central Criminal Court, while the Director of Public Prosecutions indicated that it would seek a retrial.

Murphy had been convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury and received the mandatory life sentence in May 2014. The appeal court’s decision overturned that conviction; it did not determine whether he was guilty of murder.