The mother of murder victim Jamie Kavanagh has spoken of feeling like “a wound that is wide open”, as the man who told gardaí he wanted to kill her son “stone dead” was sentenced to life in prison at the Central Criminal Court.
“Burying your child is unnatural, it changes everything about you, and a violent end adds a whole other level of despair,” said Niamh McGuinness on Thursday during the sentencing of Robert Murphy (42).
Murphy had pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to the murder of Mr Kavanagh (23) at a hostel on Harrington Street, Dublin 8, on April 19th, 2023. However, the jury deliberated for close to five hours before returning their unanimous verdict of guilty to murder on November 14th last.
At the sentence hearing, Detective Sergeant Tim O’Sullivan gave evidence to counsel for the State, Sean Gillane SC, that in the early hours of the morning a 999 call was made of an incident at the hostel.
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Witness Carrie Benn, who had been living at the hostel with Mr Kavanagh and Murphy at the time, said she heard Mr Kavanagh calling for help, so she gained entry to his bedsit and saw that he was injured. When the emergency services arrived, they found that Mr Kavanagh had suffered a number of stab wounds and was in a serious and critical condition.
Mr Kavanagh was brought to St James’s Hospital but shortly afterwards succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
Det Sgt O’Sullivan said that when arrested and cautioned, Murphy said: “I done that, I’ll tell youse what happened.” Murphy told gardaí that he went for Mr Kavanagh’s neck and “wanted to kill him stone dead”. The detective said Murphy also suggested he acted in self-defence as there had been an altercation.
CCTV footage showed Murphy in a laneway to the rear of the premises, wearing a balaclava. He climbed over the rear wall and entered the rear door, before he spent two minutes at the door of Mr Kavanagh’s bedsit trying to gain entry.
When he was searched by gardaí, he was found with a bag containing bloodstained clothing, a balaclava and knives.
Det Sgt O’Sullivan told the court that Murphy had 66 previous convictions, including eight for the possession of knives and other articles, as well as convictions for the possession of firearms and ammunition, and arson intending to endanger the life of another.
In her victim-impact statement, Ms McGuinness said Jamie was her “hero”, whose death had left the family “absolutely devastated”.
“What I wouldn’t give to feel one of his bear hugs now,” she said, going on to describe herself as “a broken mother”.
“I have to hold his love and compassion inside of me and know that he forgives me for not protecting him,” said Ms McGuinness.
“Burying your child is unnatural, it changes everything about you, and a violent end adds a whole other level of despair,” she said.
Ms Justice Melanie Greally thanked Ms McGuinness for her victim-impact statement, expressing the court’s regret that the trial had been “such a harrowing and brutal experience for the family”.
Defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC told the court that Murphy had said that he never meant for this to happen, but “things got out of control”.
“He’s sorry for the young lad, his family and friends,” said Mr Grehan.
Ms Justice Greally sentenced Murphy to life in prison, backdated to the date he went into custody, April 19th, 2023.
The trial had heard that Jamie Kavanagh lived in the bedsit on Harrington Street which was run by hostel and charity Crosscare. Murphy lived next door to Mr Kavanagh on the first floor of the hostel, where many people were “on the margins” and on State aid.
The jury rejected the defence case that Murphy had entered the deceased’s room only in order to “frighten”, but not kill him and lacked the necessary intent.
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