Courts

Valerie French Kilroy case: Man found guilty of wife’s murder

The jury rejected James Kilroy’s defence that he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity

Valerie French-Kilroy was found dead at a house in the Kilbree area, near Westport, in June 2019
Valerie French-Kilroy was found dead at a house in the Kilbree area, near Westport, in June 2019
Eoin Reynolds
Fri Jul 26 2024 - 11:58

A jury has unanimously convicted Valerie French Kilroy’s husband of her murder, rejecting his claim that he was insane when he beat, stabbed and strangled her to death, in what was his third trial since 2021.

James Kilroy (51) murdered his wife Valerie French Kilroy at their home in Kilbree Lower, Westport, Co Mayo, between June 13th and June 14th, 2019.

During Kilroy’s latest trial, psychiatrists had disagreed as to whether cannabis-induced psychosis is a mental disorder that can be used as a defence under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act, despite recent murder trials in which such a defence was successfully employed.

Following Friday’s verdict, Mr Justice Tony Hunt, who presided in the trial, said he believes Professor Harry Kennedy’s interpretation that cannabis-induced psychosis is not an available defence is “entirely in line with what I perceive as the policy of the legislation.”

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The jury’s verdict, he said, was “the correct result on the evidence in the case... Self-induced scenarios are not defences.”

The eight women and four men at the Central Criminal Court took about two hours to reject Kilroy’s defence that he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity due to a cannabis-induced psychosis or a form of acute and transient psychotic disorder.

Members of the victim’s family, who have attended every day of the three trials, cried and thanked the jury when the verdict was revealed. The two previous trials collapsed due to unforeseen difficulties that arose during the course of the evidence.

James Kilroy, of Kilbree Lower, Westport, Co Mayo, has been found guilty of the murder of his wife, Valerie French Kilroy. Photograph: Conor McKeown
James Kilroy, of Kilbree Lower, Westport, Co Mayo, has been found guilty of the murder of his wife, Valerie French Kilroy. Photograph: Conor McKeown

Before she was murdered, Ms Kilroy French had been enjoying a night out with friends. When she arrived home, Kilroy set upon her with a knife and beat and strangled her. There was evidence that he used a ligature and that she struggled during the unprovoked attack.

Kilroy was found some hours later wandering naked in a nearby field.

He told gardaí and psychiatrists of various delusional beliefs including that his wife was working with Donald Trump’s bodyguards to capture, torture and kill him.

There was also evidence that Kilroy was a regular user of cannabis and had a previous psychotic episode related to drug use in 2001.

Professor Harry Kennedy, a consultant psychiatrist called by the prosecution,

told the trial that he did not agree with psychiatrists called by the defence who had diagnosed Kilroy with psychotic disorders that they said deprived him of the ability to understand that killing his wife was wrong. He also disagreed that Kilroy was unable to refrain from killing his wife.

Following the verdict Mr Justice Hunt said he believes

it was “the correct result on the evidence in the case... Self induced scenarios are not defences.”

Mr Justice Hunt added: “It could be that the legislature might consider making that a little more plain in the wording [of the act] but I think it is tolerably clear enough.”