An inquest has returned verdicts of death by suicide in the case of a 28-year-old man and death by unlawful killing in the case of his three-year-old son, both of whom died in a car crash in Co Limerick last July.
Marco Velocci was driving a car which veered into the path of a truck at an area close to Brooks Bridge outside the village of Oola on the morning of 19 July 2016.
His son Alex was sitting on his lap in the driver's seat when the crash, which killed them both occurred, the inquests into their deaths heard today.
The inquest heard they both died from multiple injuries consistent with a crash which occurred at high speed.
The little boy was thrown from the car into a ditch when the impact occurred.
Alex's mother, Jodie Power, who had had an intermittent relationship with Mr Velocci since they were teenagers, said he had been acting strangely in the time leading up to the accident.
They were not in a relationship at the time of the crash.
She said he had been having panic attacks and appeared to be paranoid about the so-called Islamic State militant group and about Muslims taking over the world.
She said they had talked about getting back together and Mr Velocci had stayed with her and Alex the night before the crash.
However, he had assaulted and injured her with a knife on the morning before he left the house with Alex.
She learned of their deaths while she was being treated in hospital that day.
His mother, Joan Velocci,said her son had always been in good form, but said she also had noticed strange and paranoid behaviour in the months leading up to the crash on 19 July, and had asked him to visit his doctor.
The driver of the truck, Stephan Hehir, said he could see Mr Velocci's, car coming at him over the white line just before it crashed into him, and while he braked he had no control over the truck after that and it ended up in a field.
The jury returned verdicts of suicide in accordance with the medical evidence in relation to Mr Velocci, and death by unlawful killing in accordance with the medical evidence in respect of Alex.
Coroner John McNamara described it as a very difficult and harrowing case for the families, and for all involved in this case.
