A man who stabbed a young man in the heart in the early hours of the morning, after seeing him interfering with a van and car outside his house, has been jailed for nine years.
Patrick Murphy, aged 37, was found guilty of the manslaughter of 20-year-old Jordan Ronan on 26 July 2024. Murphy admitted killing Mr Ronan, but claimed he was defending his property and his family.
The court heard Murphy's dogs alerted him to a person outside the house at around 3am. Mr Ronan was seen on CCTV getting in and out of Murphy's van and then got into Murphy's partner’s car.
Murphy rushed out of the house, barefoot, with a kitchen knife and stabbed Mr Ronan once in the chest.
The wound was 18cm deep and the court heard it would have caused cardiac arrest within minutes.
Mr Ronan ran away and was chased by Murphy until he collided with a lamppost and fell. Murphy then ran back into his home.
The court heard Murphy did not call emergency services at any stage.
Jordan 'never got the chance to experience adulthood,' says family
Doorbell camera footage recorded Murphy telling his partner the young man was "breaking into our car" and that he had "stabbed him to bits".
The footage was recovered from a phone and from the camera, which Murphy had removed from the door and hidden.
Two pairs of pliers, some cannabis and a Revolut card in Murphy's name were found with Mr Ronan's body.
When gardaí called to Murphy's home that night, they noticed he was nervous, appeared to have taken a shower, and did not mention any interaction with Mr Ronan.
He eventually admitted to stabbing Mr Ronan in a prepared statement after his arrest and a number of interviews.
He said he had bought his van a few weeks previously and had intended to start working for himself. He said his family was in a bad way financially. And he claimed things were tense because he had been attacked in his front garden a few days beforehand by his partner's ex-partner.
He said when he saw the lights in his van activated, he was concerned for his van and property and believed he had to do something. Afterwards, he said he panicked.
Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo said he accepted the jury's unanimous finding that Murphy was guilty of manslaughter meant they believed his use of force was excessive.
Mr Ronan's partner was six weeks pregnant with their first child at the time of the killing. In her victim impact statement to the court last month, Lauren Geraghty said Mr Ronan was the love of her life, and she had been left mourning the loss of their future together.
His mother, Sabrina Ronan, thanked two people who gave first aid to her son on the street. And she said she got a small sense of comfort knowing he was not left to die alone. She had asked the judge to fully consider the depth and permanence of the harm caused.
Mr Justice Naidoo said it was clear Mr Ronan was an exceptionally likeable, well-loved member of a close family who had been a promising young sportsman.
The judge said Mr Ronan did not use any force or threaten any force against Murphy. And he said the production of a knife by Murphy was an aggravating factor. Murphy has 31 previous convictions, including five previous convictions for possession of knives and other articles between 2010 and 2013.
The judge said Murphy had expressed his remorse, but that was difficult to reconcile with the fact that he had left Mr Ronan for dead on a public road, and had not called an ambulance.
However, he said he accepted that Murphy regretted his actions. The judge sentenced him to ten years in prison, but suspended the final year.
As he was taken away, members of Mr Ronan’s family shouted at Murphy and said, "ten years, what kind of justice is that".
Mr Ronan's father, Stephen Packenham, said outside court that the family did not accept the manslaughter verdict. He said they believed the system was flawed. And he said Murphy was a coward who watched his son collapse on the road and did not call an ambulance.
Mr Packenham said his son never got the chance to experience adulthood or to be a father to his baby girl.
He said his son was more of a man than Murphy would ever be, and he said his son would never be forgotten.
The court also heard that Murphy has been on 23-hour lock-up in prison since December 2024 after an attack which left him requiring 25 stitches to his face.
