Triple murder trial: Father feared family 'could be killed', court hears

A psychiatrist told the Central Criminal Court that Robert O'Connor's father raised safety fears a decade before the fatal stabbings of his wife, husband and son.

Father's fears and a schizophrenia relapse: inside the Louth triple murder trial

The father of Robert O'Connor reported to a social worker more than a decade before the killings that he had "serious concerns" for his family's safety and believed they "could be killed in the future", the Central Criminal Court has heard. The disclosure emerged during evidence given by consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Fiona Toal, who was called by the defence, ireland-live.ie reports.

O'Connor, of Drumgowna, Louth Village, Dundalk, Co Louth, has pleaded not guilty of murder by reason of insanity — or guilty of manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility — in connection with the deaths of his mother Louise (56), his father Mark (54) and his younger brother Evan (27). The three victims sustained a combined 139 stab wounds at the family home between 28 and 29 September 2025. The accused accepts he caused their deaths.

Both psychiatrists aligned on diminished responsibility

Dr Toal told Michael Bowman SC, for the defence, that her conclusions and those of the State's psychiatrist are "incredibly aligned". Both experts agree that diminished responsibility is established in respect of all three deaths, and both agree that O'Connor was experiencing a relapse of schizophrenia in September 2025 — a condition with which he had been formally diagnosed in 2018.

The defence psychiatrist found that O'Connor meets the criteria for a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity under the Criminal Law Insanity Act 2006. She told the court he did not know what he was doing was wrong and could not refrain from committing the act at the time of the fatal attack.

During her assessment, Dr Toal found the accused held "very clear psychiatric symptoms" and "bizarre beliefs" about his parents, believing them to be imposters who controlled his thoughts. He also told her he believed his brother Evan was controlling him through an iPad on the night of the killings, describing Evan as "the ultimate controller".

A history of drug use and psychiatric intervention

Dr Toal traced O'Connor's mental health difficulties back many years. He began smoking cannabis at 13 and later progressed to cocaine, which she said caused significant conflict at home. By age 16 he attended his GP presenting with symptoms of depression and polysubstance abuse, and was prescribed an antidepressant in 2011. He reported using drugs as a coping strategy for unpleasant emotions, though he was not assessed as acutely psychotic at that point.

At 19, a psychiatric assessment recorded that he felt increasingly paranoid and anxious. His symptoms were attributed to drug psychosis and social anxiety, and he was prescribed antipsychotic medication.

The situation escalated in 2014. O'Connor attended a psychiatrist after reporting urges to hurt people. He was considered appropriate for involuntary detention by mental health services in March 2014 following threats to kill his parents. An application for involuntary admission was made, but as he had taken LSD the week prior, clinicians formed the view that his symptoms reflected drug-induced psychosis. "It was felt this protracted history of intermittent drug use was the reason for his symptoms," Dr Toal told the court.

A review on 31 March 2014 recorded that O'Connor denied ongoing paranoid thoughts, accepted his symptoms were drug-related and was discharged. It was around this time that a social worker documented the concerns relayed by his father, Mark O'Connor, who reported his son had been depressed for two years and hearing voices for 18 months. Mark stated he had "serious concerns" for himself and his wife's safety, with an indication "that they could be killed in the future".

Formal diagnosis in 2018 after a year without drugs

By 2018, Louise O'Connor contacted the family GP to report that Robert had become extremely aggressive after seeing a man in a shirt and had expressed a desire to kill him. He also reported violent thoughts and a belief that birds flying around him were mocking him. His mother described extreme moods, aggression and instances of her son talking to himself.

Because Robert had been abstinent from substances for approximately a year at that stage — a fact corroborated by his family — he was formally diagnosed with schizophrenia at the end of 2018, when he was 24. He was commenced on stronger antipsychotic medication and referred for intensive community support.

Dr Toal said there was collateral evidence from family members indicating O'Connor experienced relapses between 2018 and 2024, even while abstaining from illicit drugs during that period.

Relapse flagged months before the killings

In February 2025, the O'Connor family again brought their concerns to the GP, reporting that Robert appeared unwell. He admitted to drug use since the previous Christmas and was diagnosed with a relapse of schizophrenia in the context of recent substance misuse. The trial continues before the Central Criminal Court.

Source: Irish Independent