Violent criminal jailed for life for murder of ‘loving and caring family man’

Eoin Reynolds

A violent criminal with 79 previous convictions has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering a 'loving and caring family man' by stabbing him in the neck hours after threatening to do so.

The sentencing judge at the Central Criminal Court on Friday noted that defendant Joseph Lawlor's remorse was "called into question" by a letter in which he attempted to "slander" his victim and to place the blame for the killing on both him and gardaí.

Speaking outside the court this afternoon, the deceased's sister, Elizabeth, said Lawlor was not remorseful.

"I think apology is, 'I'm sorry', there is no but. He tried to slander Michael, and he tried to blame the guards for his actions and his behaviour. That doesn't sound remorseful; that sounds like he is still deluded about what he did."

A jury last week found 39-year-old Lawlor guilty of the murder of 51-year-old Michael Ryan in a car park at the back of the defendant's home at Hampton Wood Road, Finglas, Dublin 11, on June 20th 2024.

They rejected his claim that the killing had been done in self-defence after Ryan threatened to throw grenades through his windows.

At a sentencing hearing today, in a statement written by Ryan's partner, Natanya Comerford and read by prosecution counsel Jennifer Jackson BL, she described the deceased as the kind of person who would get up before her to make her lunch for work and would take her son out fishing.

She said: "The pain of losing my partner, friend, my children's dad and my future all in one go was excruciating. The hurt and betrayal I felt when I realised his life was ended by someone he considered a friend will never leave me."

Comerford gave birth to their child weeks after the murder. She said he had been "delighted when we conceived", was looking forward to meeting his son and had chosen the boy's name.

While Lawlor is sentenced to life in prison, she said the only people serving a life sentence will be herself and her two sons, the youngest of whom never got to meet his dad.

She described him as a "loving and caring family man" and his loss as "excruciating".

Elizabeth Kavanagh wrote that Michael was the type of person who made you feel "safe and protected". She added: "Michael was the brother who brought laughter, mischief and fun into the house, always playing tricks."

He cared for their mother, who died of cancer six weeks before Michael's murder. Kavanagh said the birth of Michael's son weeks after was like a gift, "a bundle of joy for people who were drowning in sadness.

"He gave us all a purpose, a reason to continue."

No remorse

Kavanagh accused Lawlor of showing no remorse and of making a "halfhearted apology directed at the jury" during his testimony at his trial. "It was a heartless, violent act that took a precious life," she said.

She thanked the jury for seeing through Lawlor's 'lies'.

She added: "Sadly, it will not bring Michael back, but it will ensure that Joseph Lawlor cannot inflict this kind of pain on another family."

Keith Spencer BL, for Lawlor, handed in letters to the court, written by his client. Mr Justice Patrick McGrath noted that in one of the letters, Lawlor sought to blame the gardai for what happened and said he would be writing to the Minister for Justice.

The judge said Lawlor's remorse is further "called into question" by an attempt to "slander" the deceased and to place the blame for the killing on him in the same letter.

He said the use of "such extreme violence by the accused was wholly unnecessary and unjustifiable".

He said the result was that Ryan had lost his future, his family had been robbed of his company, and Ryan's son will never get to see his father.

The judge imposed the mandatory term for murder of life imprisonment.

Night of murder

At Lawlor's trial, which began last month, the jury heard that the defendant and the deceased were drinking together throughout the day and had their first of three physical altercations at 8.30 pm.

The fights were recorded by CCTV and by neighbours using their mobile phones.

In his evidence before the jury, Lawlor accepted that he was bigger than Ryan and easily got the better of him. He further accepted that he was strangling Ryan on the ground during one of the fights, causing his face to turn purple.

After the first fight, the two men continued arguing, and a neighbour recorded what could be heard through Lawlor's back garden fence.

Gda Shane Gallagher told the trial that Lawlor could be heard at one point saying to Ryan: "Get up and I'll stab you with your own knife straight into your neck."

When he took the stand in his own defence, Lawlor claimed that it was "100 per cent a coincidence" that a few hours later, he stabbed Ryan in the neck.

Gda Gallagher said Lawlor later said: "My children are gone already over that f**king snitch" and "he is a f**king rat... he has ratted on everybody." Ryan replied: "I saved your life," to which Mr Lawlor said: "You are a f**king supergrass... you're a pr**k."

Ryan then said: "If you are going to stab me, stab me now," while a female voice shouted, "Stop lads, please."

Following the second fight, Ryan drove away in his car but was arrested almost immediately for drunk driving.

Having been processed and released from custody, Ryan returned to Lawlor's home shortly after midnight and accused him of having called gardaí to have him arrested.

He also demanded Lawlor return an expensive watch that he had left behind earlier.

When Lawlor refused to return the watch, Mr Ryan threatened to get some "lads" to come and throw "pineapples", slang for grenades, through Lawlor's windows.

Some minutes later, Ryan entered Lawlor's home through the back door and left carrying a bag with almost €4,000 inside.

Lawlor claimed the money was the proceeds from the sale of 17,000 Zopiclone sleeping tablets, whereas Ryan's partner, Natanya Cumerford, said the money was part of a loan she had secured for home improvements.

Lawlor chased Ryan to a car park at the rear of his home and stabbed him once in the neck, severing a branch of the carotid artery and causing his death.

Ryan fell to the ground and called Lawlor a 'dirtbird' before shouting: "You stabbed me in the artery, you f**cking eejit."

Lawlor later claimed that he had not intended to harm Ryan but just wanted him to go away and not come back and throw grenades in his windows. He claimed that he was acting in defence of himself and his home.

The Judge told the jury that to find Lawlor guilty of murder, they must be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that when he stabbed Ryan, he intended to kill or to cause serious injury.

He also told them that a person is entitled to use reasonable force in defence of themselves or their property.

The jury did not accept that Lawlor acted reasonably or that he had an honest belief that he needed to attack Ryan in the manner he did.