A LAOIS man has been jailed for life for murdering his ex-girlfriend in Carlow almost two years ago.
Gordon Molloy (24) stabbed Ciara Ní Chathmhaoil (22) because she had met another man, the court heard during the trial.
The victim’s body was found lying naked in the bath of her home. Molloy told gardaí that he had “lost it”.
It took the jury at the Central Criminal Court four hours and 50 minutes to reach its unanimous verdict, finding Molloy, of Ballinakill, Ballickmoyler, Co Laois guilty of murdering Ms Ní Chathmhaoil at her home in Ardmore Gardens, Carlow on November 12th, 2007.
It was the prosecution’s case that Ms Ní Chathmhaoil’s death was the “culmination of drink and jealousy”. The defence argued during the trial that Molloy was suffering from a borderline personality disorder, which would have substantially diminished his responsibility for the killing.
The court heard that Molloy had been drinking heavily the day before the murder and had found out that evening that Ms Ní Chathmhaoil had met another man.
Speaking outside the Four Courts after the verdict, Micheal Glynn, father of the deceased, said: “It has been a nightmare journey. And we are relieved some of that journey is over.” He said that he and his wife “could not have coped” without the support of friends and family.
Patricia Campbell said her daughter had “just started college” because she was “trying to make life better for herself and her son”, who was four years old at the time of the murder.
She said: “What didn’t come out during the trial was that [Ciara’s son] witnessed the murder.” Ms Campbell said that her grandson told her: “Gordie [Molloy] did this to my mummy.”
She added: “Ciara’s last words to [her son] were ‘Run’ as she was being murdered,” she said.
Molloy told gardaí: “I asked her, ‘Do you not want to be with me anymore?’ She said, ‘I don’t know’.” He told gardaí that Ms Ní Chathmhaoil asked him to leave and started “pushing” him out the door.
“Then I picked up the knife and stabbed her. And then she screamed. I didn’t know what to do. I stabbed her again lots of times.” The court heard that Molloy then stabbed himself in the neck and cut his throat.
Then he removed Ms Ní Chathmhaoil’s clothes and attempted to have sex with her body.
“I was going to have sex with her one last time before I died. I was disgusted with myself. I was thinking, ‘What is wrong with me? Why are you thinking of doing something like that?’”
Molloy then dragged the body upstairs and put her in the bath. He cut his wrists with a razorblade and crawled out of the bathroom.Later, he called an ambulance.
The jury also saw photos that had been taken at the scene of the murder, one of which showed the words “I loved her but she cheated” written in blood on the living-room door.
Mr Justice Peter Charleton sentenced Molloy to life in prison.