Oisin Conroy committed to Central Mental Hospital after insanity verdict

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

Oisin Conroy was found not guilty of murdering Natalie McGuinness by reason of insanity on 7 July 2017. On 17 July, Mr Justice Tony Hunt ordered his committal to the Central Mental Hospital for inpatient care at the Central Criminal Court.

Conroy was charged with murdering McGuinness at The Mews, Mail Coach Road, Sligo, on 28 October 2015. He pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity.

The jury of six men and six women returned its verdict after 24 minutes of deliberation. The proceedings were reported on 17 July 2017.

The trial heard that Conroy believed he was in the Matrix and strangled McGuinness to save her. He told gardaí that a voice had told him to kill her.

Consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Damien Mohan said Conroy suffered from chronic paranoid schizophrenia and needed inpatient care and treatment. Mr Justice Hunt said Conroy needed close supervision for the foreseeable future.