Trevor Rowe discovered responsible of murdering Kilkenny pensioner

A jury has taken only one hour and 19 minutes to discover a man who beat, stabbed and mutilated a pensioner in her own residence responsible of her homicide.

The Central Criminal Court trial heard proof that on March twenty fifth, 2020 three nameless 999 calls had been traced again to the defendant Trevor Rowe (30), together with one the place he mentioned he murdered a lady 5 days beforehand and that the situation of the physique was on Maudlin Street in Kilkenny. When gardai referred to as to Rowe’s residence, he fell to his knees, cried uncontrollably and mentioned: “I killed a lady. I murdered a lady. I slit her throat and caught a knife in her head”.

Rowe, with an handle at Abbey Street, Kilkenny had pleaded not responsible to murdering 71-year-old Ann Butler at her residence at Maudlin Street, Kilkenny on March twentieth, 2020.

Chief State Pathologist Linda Mulligan testified that the physique of the pensioner was found in a mutilated state after she had been crushed, stabbed and had her throat slit, whereas a big piece of cardboard was additionally discovered at the back of her mouth.

Ms Butler’s ear

The courtroom heard that “a strip” of Ms Butler’s ear was later present in the lounge and Dr Mulligan agreed that a part of the sufferer’s ear had been reduce off.

The jury agreed with the prosecution’s case that the “solely rational conclusion” was that Rowe meant to trigger dying or severe harm to the pensioner when he “shoved” a big piece of cardboard thus far into her throat that the pathologist was unaware of its existence till the again of her mouth was dissected.

The 12 jurors additionally heard that Rowe accepted in garda interviews that he killed the girl however refused to say why, telling detectives it was to do with “nobody; simply me, God and that girl”.

When requested by gardai why he couldn’t inform them what he did to Ms Butler, Rowe replied: “as a result of it is disgusting.”

The defendant additionally advised officers that he was going to return to Ms Butler’s home “to chop her up and bury her legs one place and bury her arms someplace else” however as an alternative made nameless telephone calls to gardai, so they may discover her physique.

When he was sitting at the back of a patrol automobile, Rowe advised officers: “I believed it was going to be a simple contact, what have I achieved”.

He additionally advised detectives that he had dedicated “5 different murders”, was working for the Kinahan Cartel and obtained €5,500 “for doing a homicide”.

Intoxication defence

The 12 jurors took only one hour and 19 minutes to unanimously reject a defence of intoxication put ahead by Rowe, who mentioned that the quantity of drink and medicines consumed by him that day had prevented him from forming an intent to kill or trigger severe harm to Ms Butler.

Rowe advised gardaí in his interviews that he had taken “40 D5’s” [Diazepam] and drank all day earlier than the incident on Maudlin Street.

Following the decision, Ms Justice Karen O’Connor thanked the jury for the effort and time that that they had put into their service. “You had been all the time punctual, turned up each day and listened fastidiously all through,” she mentioned.

The choose provided her condolences to the Butler household and mentioned she knew it had been a tough time for them.

Ms Justice O’Connor will hand down the obligatory sentence of life imprisonment to Rowe on April 1st and remanded the accused in custody till that date.

On that date, the Butler household may have a possibility to make an announcement to the courtroom in regards to the impression Ann’s dying has had on their lives.

The trial had heard {that a} timber cross was recovered from the ground in one of many bedrooms in Ms Butler’s home on Maudlin Street and a “Jesus determine” was present in Rowe’s residence on Abbey Street. A forensic scientist gave proof that her findings offered “extraordinarily sturdy help” that the timber cross and “Jesus determine” had been initially from the identical crucifix unit relatively than not. This, John O’Kelly SC, prosecuting, mentioned in his closing speech, was a “clear scientific connection” between Rowe and the deceased.

The jury additionally noticed CCTV footage of Rowe strolling within the route of the girl’s home on the night time she was killed.

Evidence was on condition that the defendant advised gardai that he couldn’t inform them what had occurred, including that: “It would not do her household any good to know. I am unable to even shut my f**king eyes with the nightmare I see.”

When gardaí put it to Rowe that what occurred to Ms Butler was not “a pleasant factor”, the accused replied: “It’s not; it is disgusting, it is horrible, it is inhumane”.