The trial is continuing today at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, of 49-year-old James Kilroy from Westport who has admitted killing his wife, 41-year-old Valerie French Kilroy, in June 2019.
James has pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity.
Valerie French Kilroy worked as an occupational therapist with Mayo Mental Health services. She was described as an immensely popular woman particularly in the healthcare community, with a wide circle of friends.
By June 2019, she and her husband, James Kilroy, had been married for more than 11 years and had known each other for the previous ten. The court was told there was no history or evidence of domestic violence.
They had three young children and lived about six kilometres from Westport.
Garda Leanne Nallen gave evidence that on the morning of 14 June she had found James Kilroy naked and running around a field after receiving a report from a member of the public.
He was brought to hospital but later that afternoon as he was about to be transferred to the mental health unit, he told Garda Nallen and her colleague that he had a confession. He said he had killed his wife and children.
Garda Nallen told the court they called to the family home and found the couple's three children unharmed.
The body of Ms French Kilroy was found in a camper van on the property. She had been strangled with a ligature and suffered a stab wound to her neck and blunt force trauma to her head.
Prosecuting counsel, Anne Marie Lawlor told the jurors Mr Kilroy had accepted he killed his wife and the issue they would have to decide on was his mental state at the time.
She said they would hear expert psychiatric evidence from the defence and the prosecution which they would have to weigh up.
Ms Lawlor said to bring in a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, the jurors would have to decide Mr Kilroy was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the killing, and that he did not understand what he was doing, or did not know it was wrong or could not stop. She said a mental disorder did not include intoxication and that was important in this case.
Prosecuting counsel Anne Marie Lawlor told the jurors it was the prosecution case that Mr Kilroy was simply guilty of murder.
The trial is continuing.
