O’Connor’s trial continues as witnesses give evidence in triple murder case

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

The trial of Robert O’Connor, 32, continued at the Central Criminal Court, where witnesses described discovering the bodies of his family members and hearing his statements on the morning they were found. O’Connor has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murdering his mother, Louise O’Connor, his father, Mark O’Connor, and his younger brother, Evan O’Connor, or alternatively guilty to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility.

Carer Loreto Durrigan told the court she initially mistook a body in the driveway for a Halloween decoration before realising it was Mark O’Connor. She said Evan O’Connor was lying near the patio doors. Witness Ruth Callan testified that Robert O’Connor told her, “I killed them,” and later confirmed he meant the sirens were for him. The trial was due to continue the following day.

The prosecution and defence psychiatric experts agree that O’Connor had a mental disorder that substantially diminished his responsibility, which could support a manslaughter verdict. They disagree over whether he qualifies for a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. The trial’s central issue, as described by the prosecution, is that question.