Cork man accused of murdering brother and attempting to murder father was sober at arrest, court hears

A 43-year-old Carrigaline man accused of murdering his brother and attempting to murder his father was sober and coherent at the time of his arrest when gardaí heard him ranting about guards, lawyers, and politicians, and at times singing.

Detective Garda Ian Breen gave this evidence in the case against John Murphy Jnr of Seaview Avenue, Carrigaline, Co Cork, who is charged with the murder of his 27-year-old brother, Shane Murphy, and the attempted murder of his father, John Aloysius ‘Weeshie’ Murphy Snr, who was 75 at the time at the family home on Saturday, March 26, 2022, contrary to common law.

A jury of five women and seven men was sworn in to hear the case before Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork.

Prosecution senior counsel Jane Hyland said that after an extensive outline of the incidents by Det Garda Breen, the main testimonies would be from a psychiatrist for the defence and a psychiatrist for the prosecution and that the ultimate decision that the jury would have to make would be on the issue of whether the accused is not guilty by reason of insanity.

Outline of events on the night 

Det Garda Breen outlined what happened on the night.

“In the early hours, Weeshie was in bed watching golf on TV. At 2.50am the accused, John Murphy entered Weeshie’s bedroom. For no reason, he made a request for his father to go into the neighbour’s house. He started to get dressed but John pushed him on the bed and began strangling him. He pleaded with him to stop and he called for his son (Shane) to help. Shane pulled John off his father.

“This allowed John to get out. Shane screamed he had been stabbed and to get an ambulance,” the detective said.

Ms Hyland said: “Shane was acting to protect his father?” Det Garda Breen replied: “Selfless, actually, yes.”

The accused followed his father outside and stabbed him a number of times before returning to the house and continuing to assault Shane.

A neighbour heard Shane screaming 10 times: “Please stop, I will do whatever you want.”

Det Garda Breen said: “He rang 999 from his mobile at 3.11 — a call lasting 34 minutes and 26 seconds — and there is a graphic recording capturing the verbal interaction. He (Shane) is terrified and retreating. He begs John to stop… During this call it is believed Shane died.”

He suffered nine stab wounds — one fatal wound through the heart — and one described as potentially fatal through the left lung.

A knife with an 18cm blade broken from the handle was found at the scene.

Weeshie Murphy walked — despite serious stab wounds — out of the estate and a taxi driver came to his assistance. He told the driver: “My young fella went berserk in the house.” The driver brought him to Cork University Hospital where he remained for 10 days.

CCTV showed the accused, John Murphy Jnr, conceal a bag containing clothes in a garden compost heap in the neighbourhood. The clothing was stained in the blood of his brother and his father.

The accused walked around Carrigaline before calling to a friend and telling him that his father and brother fought each other, that he — the accused — intervened but they were both dead. He told the friend to drive him to Passage West. He called to a relative’s house early that morning — at around 7am — but the door was not opened to him.

Gardaí found him, and Det Garda Breen arrested him. He blamed his father and brother for attacking him. On the way to the Garda station he ranted about politicians, lawyers, and gardaí. He sang songs as well.

Interviewed by gardaí

He was later interviewed. “He continuously accused gardaí of manipulating airwaves in the interview room,” Det Garda Breen said. The meaning of this was never established.

In the interview he said he tried to choke his father. He said he stabbed his brother six or seven times, mainly in the torso.

He made a series of allegations against several members of his family, all of which gardaí believed were without any basis. These included allegations that his life was being threatened.

For instance, he said that a week earlier the freezer had been defrosted and that the reason for this was because he was going to be killed and his body was going to be put into the freezer.

As for placing the knife beside Shane’s body in the bedroom, he said: “I set up to make it look like Shane killed my dad. I am ashamed of that.”

Tom Creed senior counsel for the accused man cross-examined the detective who agreed that the defendant changed from being lucid to being agitated but was sober and coherent. He was clearly troubled, the detective said.

At one stage the accused described the violent incidents as a last chance to get the truth, before adding: “Shane said sorry to me. Maybe he should not have died, maybe he should have killed me.” As well as the murder and attempted murder charges he is charged with two counts of producing a knife during the incidents.

Ms Hyland for the prosecution said that the jury would have to decide on the matter but she also said that psychiatrists for the prosecution and defence would both tell them that the accused was in an acute psychotic state as a result of schizophrenic illness, his judgement was significantly impaired and he was suffering delusions and hallucinations and had lost touch with reality at the time.

The case continues.