James Kilroy convicted of murdering wife at Central Criminal Court

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

James Kilroy was convicted of murdering his wife at the Central Criminal Court on 26 July 2024, after a jury rejected his insanity defence.

The murder took place at their home in Kilbree Lower, Westport, County Mayo, between 13 and 14 June 2019. The jury deliberated for about two hours before returning its unanimous verdict.

The trial concerned whether a cannabis-induced psychosis meant Kilroy should be found not guilty by reason of insanity. The jury rejected that defence; the judge said the verdict was the correct result on the evidence.

Kilroy was due to be sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment on 29 July 2024. The available reports describe the conviction and anticipated sentencing, but do not establish the sentence subsequently imposed.