Valerie French Kilroy died from ligature strangulation, blunt force trauma and a stab wound, trial hears

Valerie French Kilroy’s husband described to gardaí how he “waited in the long grass” at night for his wife to return home from a meeting with friends before silently carrying out a “dark and frenzied” attack on his “soulmate”.

James Kilroy, who admits killing his wife at their rural Co Mayo home, denied to gardaí that he had used a ligature and said it was “just his hands”, telling detectives that she was still alive when he left her. He added: “She was talking when I left her, I had to get out, she morphed into a zombie”.

Earlier, the Chief State Pathologist told the murder trial at the Central Criminal Court that the mother of three and occupational therapist died from ligature strangulation, blunt force trauma to the head and a stab wound to the neck.

Park ranger James Kilroy (49), with an address at Kilbree Lower, Westport, Co Mayo is charged with murdering Valerie French Kilroy (41) at their home between June 13th, 2019, and June 14th, 2019, both dates inclusive. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

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Patrick Gageby SC, defending Mr Kilroy, has made a number of formal admissions to the court on behalf of his client including that he killed his wife.

Evidence has been given that gardaí found Ms French Kilroy’s body lying in the foetal position on the floor of a campervan with her bloodied hand protruding outside the sliding door and a child’s car seat over her face.

Detective Garda Declan Sweeney from Castlebar Garda Station told Michael D Hourigan BL, prosecuting, that Mr Kilroy was interviewed on four occasions. During the first interview, he talked about his drug use in the 1990s, including cannabis, speed, ecstasy, magic mushrooms and, on one occasion, cocaine.

He later took acid at a party and said “that night changed my life”. He said he was having “bad thoughts and suicidal thoughts” around this time.

The defendant said he would always write letters to his “first real love” Valerie. He said they met on holidays when she was 18 and he was 21 years old.

In his second interview, the accused said Valerie was “pissed” on June 13 as he was “being an ass”. When she was out meeting her friends that evening he took a bath and cut his hair. He said he jumped out the back window when it was getting dark and “waited in the long grass”. He jumped into a bonfire which wasn’t lit at the back of the house.

He said he heard a car and that it was Valerie. “I heard her say ‘James is that you’? I didn’t say anything. I ran, pushed her up against the door, slit her throat.”

Mr Kilroy described it as a “battle” and said Valerie was delivering “strong kicks and punches”. He said there was “blood everywhere”. “I was nasty, killed her with my bare hands, felt the dead were going to get me and she was the leader”.

He said he went back into the bathroom after killing Valerie, emptied the bath and was eating leaves. Asked if he knew the impact of his actions, Mr Kilroy said: “Yes, I was just a stone cold fighter. I’d no plan to kill my wife”.

Mr Kilroy said he hadn’t taken any intoxicants that day and that he had been off alcohol and cannabis that whole week.

Earlier on Friday, Niall Corrigan of Derrygorman in Westport, told Mr Gageby that around 9.15am on the morning of June 14th, he saw a naked man through his window.

Mr Corrigan said the naked man, who the jury has already heard was Mr Kilroy, was walking in circles, crouching and looked quite agitated. His first impression was that it was someone coming from a party so he didn’t give it “the level of attention at that moment in time”, he said.

Mr Kilroy told Mr Corrigan’s neighbour “he was heading towards Croagh Patrick to atone for his sins or something like that”.

Gardaí arrived and found the man after 15 minutes.

Ms Anne Marie Lawlor SC, prosecuting, read a statement from Chief State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan, who said that she conducted a post mortem on Ms French Kilroy on June 15th, 2019.

In her evidence, Dr Mulligan said Ms French Kilroy died from ligature strangulation in association with blunt force trauma to the head and a stab wound to the neck. Contributory factors to death were incised wounds to the hands, she said.

The expert witness said she was informed that the deceased was last seen alive by colleagues leaving work at 5pm on June 13th. The next morning, a naked man, who was found three miles from the deceased’s home, was arrested and taken to the local hospital, she said.

The trial continues on Tuesday before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring and a jury of ten men and two women.