Robert Murphy jailed for life for Jamie Kavanagh’s murder

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

Robert Murphy was jailed for life for murder at the Central Criminal Court on 23 January 2025. Jamie Kavanagh was stabbed at a hostel on Harrington Street, Dublin, on 19 April 2023.

A jury convicted Murphy of murder in November 2024 after he admitted manslaughter but denied murder. The court heard that the jury rejected his defence that he entered Kavanagh’s room to frighten him, not kill him.

The sentencing report said Murphy’s life sentence was backdated to 19 April 2023. Detective Sergeant Tim O’Sullivan told the court he had 66 previous convictions, including eight for possessing knives and other articles.