A garda has told a murder trial in Cork that the accused appeared "highly intoxicated" and was "raving" when they arrived at the apartment where his partner died.
Detective Garda Tomás Ryan said that Adam Corcoran kept shouting "she's dead, she's dead, she's killed herself".
He was giving evidence on day three of the trial of Mr Corcoran for the murder of Daena Walsh, the mother of his two children.
The 31-year-old denies murdering Ms Walsh in their home at John Barry House, Connolly Street in Midleton, on 2 August 2024.
The accused, who is originally from Ballincollig, has also pleaded not guilty to arson on the same date at the same address.
On Monday, the opening day of his trial at the Central Criminal Court in Cork, the jury of eight men and four women heard that Ms Walsh was found with 11 stab wounds, including one to her chest that was 11.5cm deep, as well as 14 incise or slash wounds.
Today, Det Gda Ryan, one of the first gardaí at the scene, described her injuries as "catastropic" and said that she was clearly dead when he and Garda Shane O'Sullivan arrived.
He said there was smoke in the apartment and the fire alarm was going off. They escorted Mr Corcoran from the building so the fire services could deal with the blaze.
He said the accused kept repeating "she's dead, she's dead, she's killed herself".
Nothing the two gardaí said seemed to resonate with him, Det Gda Ryan told defence counsel Brendan Grehan.
He said he noted blood over Mr Corcoran's eye, as well as his hands and clothes, and they took him to an ambulance to be medically assessed.
Det Gda Cormac Ó Bric told prosecution counsel Donal O'Sullivan that he saw the accused in the back of an ambulance and went to speak to him to find out what had happened.
Reading from his notes, he said that Mr Corcoran told him that he had gone to an nearby off-licence and when he came back he "saw Daena bleeding there, I tried to save her, she said I love you so much, this was not your fault".
Det Gda Ó Bric said the accused told him that before he went out to the off-license, Ms Walsh was lighting candles as "we were going to have a sexual time, you know what I mean".
He said that, when he returned four minutes later "she had cuts, she had a big blade, I don't know where it came from, I told her I loved her".
Det Gda Ó Bric said that Mr Corcoran told him that he found Ms Walsh "lying down (in the living room), we have a hot relationship, no drama, the best woman in the world, why would someone do this to her?"
He said that he asked him if there was anything cooking before he left. The accused told him that there was steak and chips, with sriracha sauce.
Another witness, Garda Sergeant Brian Larkin, described "a loud pop or bang" when he and Garda Shane O'Sullivan went back in to check if the premises was clear.
He said there was a lot of blood on the floor and footprints through it leading into the living room.
Sgt Larkin described seeing a "bunch of aerosol cans wrapped in a tea cloth" on the ring of the hob and the tea cloth on fire.
They looked for a fire extinguisher, he said, but it was hard to see as there was a lot of smoke.
Detective Inspector John O'Connell told the court that when he entered the apartment there was significant fire damage. Part of the ceiling had collapsed and plasterboard had come down.
He said it was clear that water hoses had been used to quench the fire.
Ms Walsh was lying on the floor, Det Insp O'Connell said, left arm over her face, with "a very significant injury at her elbow - it had almost sliced through the arm".
He said that her top was rolled up and her stomach was exposed, showing stab wounds, with "a gaping wound on her torso".
The trial continues tomorrow before the jury and Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford.
