Man accused of murdering Kilkenny woman ‘couldn’t live’ with the crime, court hears

A man charged with the murder of a Kilkenny women whose remains were found in the Wicklow Mountains handed himself into gardai as he “couldn’t live with” what he had done, a court heard today.

Kieran Greene (34) of Mountainview Park, Rathfarnham, South Dublin denies murdering 61-year-old Patricia O’Connor (nee Cooke), who was originally from Windgap,on May 29, 2017.

Mrs O’Connor’s dismembered body was found in nine different locations in the Wicklow mountains near  Enniskerry between June 12 and June 14, 2017.

Today the jury at the trial in the Central Criminal Court in Dublin heard evidence from Garda Andrew Quinn who told the court Mr Green presented himself to gardai and told them he had killed and dismembered Mrs O’Connor.

Garda Quinn told the court Patricia O’Connor had been reported missing by her husband Gus and son Richard on June 1, 2017 at Rathfarnham Garda Station. On June 12 Kieran Greene, the partner of Mrs O’Connor’s daughter, Louise, went to the station to admit his crime.

Garda Quinn also took a statement on that date from Louise O’Connor, the deceased’s daughter. She told the gardai of the family’s relationship with their mother Patricia who had left the family home when she was five or six years old following the break-up of the relationship with her former husband Gus O’Connor.

Patricia O’Connor moved back in in 2001 and had lived there since. Louise said she had become hard to live with since she retired in July 2016 from her job as a nurse, and that she easily became irritable and argumentative.

Garda Quinn told the court Louise O’Connor said that on one occasion, after she took the kids to the park with her father Gus, she returned to find Mr Greene shaking following a row with her mother after she allegedly walked in on him while he was having a shower.

She said her mother stormed out of the house and shouted: “I’ll be back when that bastard pops his clogs to get what’s mine.”

Louise O’Connor told Garda Quinn the following day Kieran Greene and her former partner Keith Johnston were painting the bathroom and she left to get some jobs done.

The following day, on June 1, her father Gus reported Patricia O’Connor missing. Garda Quinn said Louise O’Connor said in her statement Kieran Green became more stressed and irritated as the week went on.

The court heard that Louise said on June 12 Kieran Greene “lost it” and was hugging the kids and telling them: “If you do something wrong you have to face it”.

Louise, the court heard, said Kieran Greene told her Patricia O’Connor had returned to the house on the night of May 29 and another row began. Greene said Patricia O’Connor was lashing out at him with a hurl and he was sorry he hurt her.

Louise O’Connor said she thought it was a joke, but Kieran Greene said he “couldn’t live with this” and had to hand himself in.

After ringing his own mother and father, Greene drove to the Garda station and made his admission to the gardai.

Louise O’Connor (41), of Millmount Court, Dundrum Road, Dublin 14, her ex-partner Keith Johnston (43), of Avonbeg Gardens, Tallaght, Dublin 24 and their daughter, Stephanie O’Connor (22), of Millmount Court, Dundrum Road, Dublin 14, all deny impeding the investigation into the death of the 62-year old retired nurse.

The trial continues tomorrow.