A detective has told a jury of the moment a man accused of triple murder put his bloodied hands behind his back, advanced at gardaí, and shouted “shoot me”, hours after he fatally stabbed his parents and younger special needs brother.
The Central Criminal Court trial also heard that the accused asked a detective “what kind of time” he could expect on the way to the Garda station.
Robert O’Connor (32), of Drumgowna, Louth Village, Dundalk, has pleaded not guilty of murder by reason of insanity, or guilty of manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility, to the triple murder of his mother Louise O’Connor (56), his father Mark O’Connor (54) and his younger brother Evan O’Connor (27) at their home in Drumgowna between September 28th and 29th last year, both dates inclusive.
In her opening address, Roisin Lacey, prosecuting, said the accused had episodes of psychosis from a young age and was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2018.
The barrister said the “battleground” between the prosecution and defence in the trial was whether the accused qualified for the special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.
The panel has also been told the accused accepts he caused the death of the three victims, who sustained a combined 139 stab wounds.
Giving evidence on Friday, Det Garda Gerard Nixon said he was informed at 9.40am on September 29th that two bloodied bodies had been found in the garden of Drumgowna and were possibly deceased.
The detective was informed one of the occupants of the house had schizophrenia.
Nixon said he was travelling in an unmarked patrol car with a colleague through Phillipstown and in the direction of Tallanstown, when they saw a man in a black hoodie and wearing white headphones coming towards them.
Nixon told the man he was an armed guard. The man said his name was Robert and was looking for them. The accused took his hands out of the pockets of his hooded top and put them behind his back.
The detective said the accused, who was about three metres away, had advanced towards him and shouted: “Shoot me, shoot me, shoot me.” The witness said the accused was aggressive and angry. “I told him no one is going to be shot here today.”
Nixon gave the accused instructions to put his hands up and kneel on the ground, which he said O’Connor had refused to comply with a number of times. When the accused finally put his hands over his head, the officer could see dried blood on them.
The detective said his colleague cautioned the accused and placed handcuffs on him before searching him for a knife. No weapon was found on the accused. When the handcuffs were removed, O’Connor said he wanted to sit down and gardaí offered him the back seat of the patrol car.
The accused then told the officers: “I killed them. I killed my father, mother and brother. I slashed my mother in the face and she gave me a look. I could see the reflection of my dad in her face. My mother wanted to go to the bathroom. My father was behind her. I then killed my father and brother.”
When the detective asked O’Connor why he had done this, the accused said there was a row over drugs and that he only meant to kill his father and brother.
The detective said the accused had asked another colleague, Det Sgt Paul Gill, “what kind of time” he could expect on the way to Drogheda Garda station.
Under cross-examination, the detective agreed with Michael Bowman, defending, that the defendant’s immediate response was to say “shoot me” and that he had continued to advance and shout loudly a number of times.
The trial continues on Monday before Judge Mícheál P O’Higgins and a jury of six men and six women.