Gary Murtagh jailed for life for murdering brother

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

Gary Murtagh was jailed for life at the Central Criminal Court on 27 June 2022 for murdering his brother Paul Murtagh. The proceedings were reported on 27 June 2022.

The murder took place at the brothers’ home on Auburn Street, Phibsborough, Dublin 7, on 6 November 2020.

Murtagh had initially pleaded not guilty to murder and guilty to manslaughter, but the State did not accept that plea. He then pleaded guilty to murder.

The court heard that the brothers had a strained relationship and communicated through notes. Defence counsel said Gary Murtagh had a long history of mental health issues, including paranoid schizophrenia, and that the relationship came under further strain when he lost his routine during the Covid lockdown.

In a victim impact statement, the brothers’ sisters said they firmly believed Gary Murtagh had not intended to kill Paul and that he would not and could not have done so if he had been in the right frame of mind.

The court was told that Paul Murtagh had recorded daily life on a body camera, including the fatal attack. A post-mortem found he died from repeated blows to the head.

Mr Justice Paul McDermott said the guilty plea publicly acknowledged the wrong committed and imposed the mandatory life sentence.