The mother of a woman killed in a house fire three years ago has told the man convicted of her murder that he “stole her future” and left two children without their mother.
George Turner (56) murdered Emma McCrory (nee Costello), aged 45, by setting fire to her home on December 15th, 2022.
He told gardaí he did it because he believed she had “no quality of life” and he wanted to “take her out of her pain”. However, he later told officers he thought the fire might cause her to be evicted and that she would then live with him.
In a statement at court on Friday, Ms McCrory’s mother, Pauline Costello, described her daughter as “beautiful inside and out”. She was adored by her family, got on with all and was there for everyone, Ms Costello said.
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When Ms McCrory died, her father was in the advanced stages of Parkinson’s disease. He died two weeks after his daughter. Ms Costello said she did not tell him what had happened and visited him every day until his death with the pain of knowing his “adored child” was dead.
Speaking to Turner, she said: “My daughter was very vulnerable when she met you. You took her life and stole her future. You left two children growing up without their mother.
“As for me, I am left to contemplate life without the support of my daughter. Emma was much more than what happened to her and she will never be forgotten.”
Turner, of Fairview Avenue, Fairview, in Dublin, pleaded guilty on Monday to the murder of Ms McCrory at her home on Howth Road, Clontarf.
Ms Justice Eileen Creedon on Friday sentenced him to the mandatory term of life imprisonment.
Before the judge passed sentence, Det Garda Cliff Singleton said Ms McCrory’s neighbours alerted emergency services to a fire at her mews home at about 8.20pm. Dublin Fire Brigade crews found the house burned out with Ms McCrory’s body in an upstairs bedroom.
A Garda technical team established the fire started near the foot of her bed. A postmortem confirmed she died from inhaling the products of combustion, including carbon monoxide, with no other contributory factors.
Ms McCrory had drugs and alcohol in her system, which Det Garda Singleton said would have made her sleepy and vulnerable when the fire was set.
Gardaí learned Turner had earlier that day used Ms McCrory’s ATM card to withdraw money and buy her alcohol. It was Turner who alerted neighbours to the fire after smoke started to billow from the windows. Gardaí spoke to him, but he did not reveal his part.
The Garda investigation continued until, on March 15th, 2023, Turner went voluntarily to Clontarf Garda station and admitted he started the fire. He was arrested and detained. He said he believed Ms McCrory had no quality of life, adding she told him she did not want to live.
He said he set fire to her bed clothes as she slept and left when he saw the fire start to smoulder. He said he wished it did not happen but he would do it again and was relieved for the deceased’s sake. He said he wanted to “take her out of her pain”.
In a later interview, he said he wanted to give her a “wake-up call”. He said he thought an alarm would go off once the duvet began to smoulder and he did not think she would die.
Det Singleton said gardaí established that in the days following her death, Turner continued to use Ms McCrory’s ATM card.
He has 42 previous convictions, the most significant of which was in 2016 for possession of firearms, ammunition and drugs for sale or supply.
Philipp Rahn SC, for Turner, asked the court to note for the record that his client has had significant mental health difficulties. His problems were compounded by substance abuse.
