Former soldier found guilty of murder of army captain and friend

David Raleigh

A 67-year-old former soldier has been found guilty of the murder of his friend and former Defence Forces army captain, Patrick O’Mahony, last year.

Thomas Carroll, Brookway, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, had denied the murder of Patrick O’Mahony, at Mr O’Mahony’s home, at Ballyreamen, Castlemaine, Co Kerry, between February 24th and 25th, 2024.

The jury of eight men and four women returned a unanimous guilty verdict at the Central Criminal Court, sitting in Limerick.

The trial had heard evidence that Mr Carroll was a long-time friend of the victim and had travelled to his home in Kerry on the weekend in question.

It was alleged that after events took a "foul turn" between the pair, Mr O’Mahony sustained a single gunshot wound and died as a result of hemorrhage and shock.

In his closing speech to the jury, Mr Carroll’s barrister, senior counsel, Mark Nicholas, said they must consider intoxication as a “partial defence”, and, he argued that Mr Carroll was so intoxicated at the time that he could not have formed the “intent” to kill Mr O’Mahony, and as such, as he was so “overborne by alcohol” he did not know what he was doing.

Mr O’Mahony and Mr Carroll had been friends for many decades and were old soldier pals.

Mr O’Mahony had been an “excellent” soldier and had retired from the Defence Forces at the rank of Captain, with an “exemplary record”, in 1994.

The court heard Mr Carroll joined the Defence Forces in 1975, and during a 37-year career, he had served eleven tours of peacekeeping duty in Lebanon and Kosovo, and had also held an exemplary record of service.

The two men had also shared an entirely lawful interest in firearms, and there were various firearms in Mr O’Mahony’s home.

Mr Nicholas, instructed by solicitor Pat Mann, Tralee, agreed there had been no doubt Mr O’Mahony died by the actions of Mr Carroll, but that he did not intend to kill him, and he was therefore not guilty of murder.

The jury disagreed with Mr Nicholas and brought in the guilty verdict shortly after 12.30pm.

Mr O’Mahony had five children, and his wife passed away in November 2023, three months prior to his murder.

Initially, gardaí did not treat Mr O’Mahony’s death as suspicious; however, a murder investigation was subsequently launched after a local mortician noticed a small exit wound of the bullet that had entered the victim’s body.

Victim impact statements from Mr O’Mahony’s family are to be heard next week before a sentence is passed on Mr Carroll.