Verdicts of murder have been returned at the inquests into the deaths of two men, in Castlebar, Co Mayo, seven years ago.
Jack Blaine, 76, and his 69-year-old brother Tom, died as a result of blunt force trauma following an attack at their home on New Antrim Street in July 2013.
32-year-old Alan Cawley, of Four Winds, Corrinbla, Ballina, Co Mayo, is serving a life sentence for the murders after being convicted in 2017.
The inquest verdicts were delivered by Mayo Coroner Pat O'Connor this afternoon.
He said that blood loss and brain trauma were contributory factors in the deaths of both men.
The murder of the Blaine brothers shocked the town of Castlebar and Mr O'Connor said the tragedy still resonated locally and nationally.
Both men had special needs and were in the care of the HSE, with home help staff visiting their terraced home several times a day.
Cawley bludgeoned them with a shovel and one of their walking sticks in the early hours of 10 July 2013.
He was unanimously found guilty of murder by a jury at the Central Criminal Court. The verdict was upheld on appeal last year.
Today's inquest was delayed due to the appeal by Cawley against his conviction.
Mr O'Connor described both brothers as "special people" who needed the protection of their community. He said they were well loved in Castlebar by their many friends and relatives.
The Coroner said the verdicts at today's inquests brought a conclusion to the proceedings from a legal perspective.
