Dublin man who killed 20-year-old outside home to 'protect his family' assaulted in jail
A man who killed an "intruder" outside his home is now on 23-hour lockup for his own protection, after an alleged "punishment" attack in jail left him with facial wounds requiring two dozen stitches, his barrister has said.Patrick Murphy (37) admitted stabbing 20-year-old Jordan Ronan, causing his death on 26 July 2024, but maintained he was defending his family and property.The court heard how Murphy's dogs alerted him to the presence of Mr Ronan in his front driveway after 3am, with the deceased observed on CCTV getting in and out of the defendant's newly-bought van.Murphy then rushed barefoot out of his home into the street armed with a kitchen knife – telling gardaí in a statement he stabbed the person in the front seat of his partner's car and said: "Come on, get the f**k out of here."Doorbell camera footage which captured the fatal encounter recorded Murphy telling his partner in the aftermath that the deceased was "breaking into our car".The court was told Murphy could be heard to say: "I’ve stabbed him to bits," on the footage, which was recovered by gardaí from his partner’s phone after he removed the camera from his door and hid it in a settee.In December, a jury at the Central Criminal Court found Murphy, of Drumcairn Parade, Tallaght, not guilty of murder, but returned a unanimous verdict of manslaughter, in line with his plea before the trial commenced.Mr Ronan’s partner, Lauren Geraghty, said in a victim-impact statement yesterday that she was looking forward to navigating parenthood with "the love of my life" when he was killed. She was six weeks pregnant with their first child at the time of the killing, the court was told.She delivered her statement from the witness box, where a framed photo of Mr Ronan digitally altered to show him holding their baby girl had been placed."While other children get to see their daddies, she’s left seeing a headstone. I’m not just mourning the loss of my partner; I’m mourning the loss of our future together," Ms Geraghty said.Stephen Packenham, Mr Ronan’s father, said his son was "so happy" to be expecting his first child.He spoke of his son's wish to meet up with him and show him neonatal scans of the baby. The next time he saw his son was to identify his body, he said."No-one should ever have to bury their child. No-one should ever have to go through the sight of having their child’s life taken and left to die on the side of the road," he said."It breaks my heart he never got to meet her," Mr Packenham said. "Having to identify him nearly killed me. I get the images of it in my head every day."Want to see more from the Irish Mirror? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Irish Mirror as a preferred source, simply click hereSabrina Ronan, the deceased’s mother, thanked two people who left their home and gave first aid to her son. "I get a small sense of comfort knowing he wasn’t left to die alone and that he was surrounded with love and compassion in his final moments," she said.She asked Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo to "fully consider the depth and permanence of the harm caused"."No sentence can ever bring my son back to me or restore what has been taken, but accountability matters," she said.At the hearing yesterday, Patricia McLaughlin SC, prosecuting, said a pathologist measured a single knife wound 18cm deep piercing the joint between Mr Ronan’s ribcage and breastbone going "almost all the way into the body".The knife penetrated his lung and heart before terminating in his liver – the stab wound to the heart causing cardiac arrest "within minutes", counsel said.Two pairs of pliers, some cannabis and a Revolut card in Patrick Murphy’s name found with the deceased were handed to gardaí by paramedics.Investigating Gardaí who called to Murphy’s home that night were told he was "in bed" when they knocked and asked to speak to him.Detective Garda Stephen Neylon confirmed to Ms McLaughlin it was observed that Murphy was "nervous", "appeared to have taken a shower", and made "no mention of any interaction" with the deceased.After a neighbour showed officers CCTV showing "a person who fit the description of Patrick Murphy", gardaí arrested him for murder, the court was told.Det Gda Neylon said that following arrest, Murphy "answered largely 'no comment'" during seven interviews with gardaí until, following a consultation with his solicitor in the final interview, he handed in a prepared statement.In the statement, Murphy alleged he had been attacked by another individual two days earlier and was "on edge" at the time. "I could see a person going from the van to the car. I didn’t know if there was more than one, or if they were armed."Det Gda Neylon confirmed to Murphy’s barrister, Ronan Kennedy SC, that his client became so upset while attempting to read his statement that an officer took it up and finished reading it out "in an act of humanity".Sign up to our new Crime Ireland newsletter and get exclusive content from Michael O'Toole and Paul HealyThe Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every weekThe detective confirmed to the court that Murphy has 31 previous convictions, including those for the possession of "knives and other articles", possession of drugs for sale or supply, assault causing harm, and 10 convictions for traffic offences.Mr Kennedy argued that his client ought to be sentenced on the basis of "self-defence of property and family", as that had been the primary argument advanced by his client."Mr Murphy ran out of his house in his bare feet which would give some indication how quickly it occurred. Unfortunately, he picked up a knife to defend himself as he was going through the kitchen," counsel said.He emphasised the evidence of State pathologist Dr Heidi Okkers, who had said "moderate" force had been required to inflict the wound."It’s highly significant that in the early hours of the morning, Mr Murphy did not go looking for trouble. Rather it came to his door. The fact is, his property was interfered with in the dead of night," Mr Kennedy said.While in custody, his client was "subjected to a vicious assault" and was told by his assailant it was "punishment" for the offence for which he was on trial, counsel said."That’s not to cast any aspersions," Mr Kennedy said. He said "severe lacerations" were inflicted on his client’s face "with a shiv or a knife", requiring 25 stitches. Murphy was now on 23-hour lockup as protection, meaning his time in detention would be "particularly onerous", it was submitted.Mr Kennedy earlier said his client’s partner had decided not to attend court yesterday "because she was concerned for her own safety".Prosecuting counsel Ms McLaughlin said she was happy Mr Kennedy had "clarified" that "no aspersions were being cast" in relation to any "retaliation in prison".She said gardai have no record of any threat being made to Murphy's partner.Mr Kennedy said: "I absolutely want to be unequivocal. I am not casting any aspersions whatsoever. It’s clear the Ronan-Packenham family are a loving, caring family."When Mr Justice Naidoo said he would hold over sentencing Murphy until next month, a voice from the body of the court was heard to say: "Ah that’s a joke.""Does that suit the family of the deceased?" Judge Naidoo said. "No, no, that’s more time waiting in pain," a voice said. "Tell him we don’t want to wait," said another.Mr Justice Naidoo said he would pass sentence on 16 March.Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
