A jury has unanimously convicted Valerie French Kilroy's husband of her murder, rejecting his claim that he was insane when he beat, stabbed and strangled her to death, in what was his third trial since 2021.
During Kilroy's latest trial, psychiatrists had disagreed as to whether cannabis-induced psychosis is a mental disorder that can be used as a defence under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act, despite recent murder trials in which such a defence was successfully employed.
Following today's verdict, Mr Justice Tony Hunt, who presided in the trial, said he believes Professor Harry Kennedy's interpretation that cannabis-induced psychosis is not an available defence is "entirely in line with what I perceive as the policy of the legislation."
The jury's verdict, he said, was "the correct result on the evidence in the case... Self-induced scenarios are not defences."
Mr Justice Hunt added: "It could be that the legislature might consider making that a little more plain in the wording [of the act] but I think it is tolerably clear enough."
The eight women and four men at the Central Criminal Court took about two hours to reject James Kilroy's defence that he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity due to a cannabis-induced psychosis or a form of acute and transient psychotic disorder.
Members of victim Valerie French Kilroy's family, who have attended every day of the three trials, cried and thanked the jury when the verdict was revealed.
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The two previous trials collapsed due to unforeseen difficulties that arose during the course of the evidence.
Kilroy will be sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment next Monday when members of Ms French Kilroy's family will be invited to address the court.
Before she was murdered, Ms French Kilroy had been enjoying a night out with friends. When she arrived home, Kilroy set upon her with a knife and beat and strangled her.
Kilroy was found by gardaí some hours later wandering naked in a nearby field.
He told gardaí and psychiatrists of various delusional beliefs including that his wife was a "zombie" or that she was working with Donald Trump's bodyguards to capture, torture and kill him.
Professor Harry Kennedy, a consultant psychiatrist called by the prosecution, said the delusions and hallucinations described by Kilroy were not symptoms of a schizophrenia-type illness.
Prof Kennedy told the trial that he did not agree with psychiatrists called by the defence who had diagnosed Kilroy with psychotic disorders that they said deprived him of the ability to understand that killing his wife was wrong.
Prof Kennedy also disagreed that Kilroy was unable to refrain from killing his wife.
The professor found that Kilroy was most likely suffering from the effects of cannabis intoxication or withdrawal.
He found evidence that Kilroy did understand that killing his wife was wrong and that he was able to refrain from killing her.
The prosecution noted that Kilroy told gardai that as he was killing his wife: "I knew I had fucked up."
In her closing speech to the jury, prosecution counsel Anne-Marie Lawlor SC asked the jury how that statement could fit with the finding that Kilroy didn't know that killing his wife was wrong.
Prof Kennedy also disagreed with defence psychiatrist Dr Ronan Mullaney who said that cannabis-induced psychosis is a mental disorder that can be used as a defence under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act.
Prof Kennedy said the Act does not allow intoxication as a defence and defines intoxication as "being under the intoxicating influence" of drugs or alcohol.
Despite recent trials in which drug-induced psychosis has successfully been used as a defence to murder, Professor Kennedy said the disorder is a direct consequence of drug use, is not separate to intoxication and cannot be used as a defence.
Following today's verdict Mr Justice Tony Hunt said he believes that Prof Kennedy's interpretation is "entirely in line with what I perceive as the policy of the legislation."
The jury's verdict, he said, was "the correct result on the evidence in the case...self-induced scenarios are not defences".
Mr Justice Hunt added: "It could be that the legislature might consider making that a little more plain in the wording [of the act] but I think it is tolerably clear enough."
Kilroy, 51, murdered his wife at their home in Kilbree Lower, Westport, Co Mayo, between 13 and 14 June 2019.
The trial heard that early on the morning of 14 June 2019 a man was having breakfast when he saw Kilroy through his window, wandering naked through a field.
Gardaí found Kilroy a short time later, still naked and covered in scratches from thorns.
Kilroy was taken to the psychiatric unit in Castlebar to be assessed under the Mental Health Act.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Camilla Curtis told the trial that Kilroy had lacerations and bruises on his forearms and back.
He said his wife had stabbed him but Dr Curtis found no stab wound. He described various delusional beliefs and said he was "on a mission from god to kill his wife".
He spoke of being watched by bodyguards, said that he believed the year was 2024 (it was 2019) and that he felt he had lived 50 years in one day.
He also said he had stabbed his wife with a kitchen knife to the throat and claimed to believe his wife was "turning into a zombie" and that he felt the dead were going to get him.
Following her assessment, Dr Curtis found that Kilroy did not have a mental disorder and did not meet the criteria for detention under the act.
He was discharged from the unit into garda custody.
While Dr Curtis was assessing Kilroy, gardaí called to his home where they found Ms French Kilroy's beaten and bloodied body in a camper van.
State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan noted ligature marks to her neck and a stab wound to the throat.
Multiple injuries to the face and head were in keeping with repeated blunt force trauma while incised wounds on both hands were suggestive of defence type injuries, she said.
The pathologist concluded that Ms French Kilroy died from ligature strangulation combined with blunt force trauma to the head and a stab wound to the neck.
Blood loss from the wounds to her hands would have contributed to her death.
Kilroy was assessed by various psychiatrists but within weeks of going into custody was deemed well enough to be detained in the general prison population rather than the Central Mental Hospital.
