A verdict of unlawful killing has been returned by the jury at the inquest into the deaths of Eoghan and Ruairi Chada in Co Mayo.
Witness statements from 16 people were heard during the course of the inquest, which began this morning.
The boys, aged ten and five, were murdered by their father Sanjeev Chada outside Castlebar in July 2013.
He pleaded guilty to the murders at the Central Criminal Court last month and is serving a life sentence.
The boys' mother, Kathleen, attended the proceedings at the Coroner's Court in Castlebar.
(Warning: Graphic details contained in the following report)
Opening the proceedings, South Mayo coroner John O'Dwyer said the inquest related to a tragedy in the county in July 2013.
The inquest heard witness statements from those who discovered the boys' bodies on the afternoon of Monday 29 July last year.
The brothers were found in the boot of a green Ford Focus, which was driven by their father.
Sanjeev Chada had crashed the car into a wall at Rosbeg, outside Westport.
A number of people came upon the scene of the crash, shortly before 3.30pm that day.
When questioned by Mrs Chada's solicitor, Justin Cody, one of those witnesses outlined the positions the children were in when he found them in boot.
Sean Foy was driving home when he came upon the scene.
He said the boys "seemed to be at peace" when he saw them.
Mr Foy also intervened when he found Chada in the driver's seat of the car trying to take his own life.
A number of other locals and holiday makers were driving on the road at the same time.
Their accounts refer to the car being full of smoke after the crash and the circumstances surrounding the initial discovery of the boys' remains.
Evidence from gardaí who attended the scene of the crash was also heard.
Garda Brian Kilkelly was the first to arrive at the scene at around 3.30pm.
He said Mr Foy told him about what he had found in the boot of the car.
When he went to look, Garda Kilkelly said there were no signs of life in either boy.
It appeared to him that both brothers had been dead for some time, he said.
A doctor who arrived at the scene was asked to check for signs of life and paramedics checked for pulses.
None was found and the doctor pronounced the boys dead at 3.45pm.
Garda Kilkelly then cautioned Sanjeev Chada and asked him what had happened.
Chada told the garda that he had killed the boys at around 5am on the morning in question.
He was subsequently taken to Mayo General Hospital for medical treatment.
Mrs Chada's solicitor asked Garda Kilkelly if he recalled whether both boys had their eyes closed or not when he found them in the boot.
The garda said he had no written note in this regard but from memory he believed both boys had their eyes closed when he saw them.
He said he touched the boys to check for signs of life and froze momentarily when he realised they were dead.
Detective Sergeant James Carroll told the inquest that he was tasked with identifying the location of the murders of the two boys.
He said the investigation had led detectives to a location close to Ballintubber Abbey, outside Castlebar.
Following questioning and further inquiries, the scene of the murder was identified as a laneway at Skehanagh Lower, Ballintubber.
Detective Sergeant Gary Walsh told the inquest that during interviews Sanjeev Chada described how he used a rope to strangle both boys in the back of the car and how he had also attempted to take his own life.
Details of the post-mortem examinations carried out on the brothers by Dr Khalid Jabeer were also furnished to the inquest.
Dr Jabeer is currently residing in Saudi Arabia but issued a report saying the cause of death in respect of Eoghan Chada was strangulation with blunt force trauma to the head.
In the case of Ruairi Chada, the cause of death was strangulation.
Following the conclusion of all witness statements, Coroner O'Dwyer summed up the evidence to jurors.
Mr O'Dwyer said he felt there was only one verdict that could be delivered.
He said there was no way the deaths were accidental or as a result of misadventure.
Similarly, an open verdict - where the full circumstances of a case are not known - would not be appropriate.
He recommended a verdict of unlawful killing was appropriate, in light of the evidence heard and the guilty plea by Sanjeev Chada.
After the verdicts were delivered, Mrs Chada thanked the members of the gardaí who were involved in the case over the last 16 months.
She said she had been treated with care, respect and dignity at all times.
She said many, many people in Mayo had taken the boys into their hearts and given her support from afar.
Paying tribute to the staff at Mayo General Hospital, she said they had looked after her boys and that a light had been left on in the morgue while they were there.
Mrs Chada said she thought and prayed for those who arrived at the scene of the crash.
As her voice faltered with emotion, she said she knew her boys' remains had been treated with dignity and respect at all times.
She thanked her family and neighbours in Carlow for the constant love and support they had shown to her.
The coroner told Mrs Chada she had the sympathy of the entire nation with her and that he hoped she would find the strength and courage to carry the cross she had to bear.
Mr O'Dwyer said Mrs Chada had decided to maintain her married name out of deference and respect for her boys.
