A 33 year old man has been found guilty for the murder of 61 year old Michael Foley in County Cork in 2024.
Daniel Hourigan, was found guilty at a trial at the Central Criminal Court in Cork City, after he was charged with the murder of Michael Foley, who was found by care worker, Ciara Harmon in a pool of blood at this home in Macroom, Co Cork, with 11 stab wounds and 19 slash wounds.
This happened after Ms Harmon had become concerned after Mr Foley had not answered calls, and failed to attend a medical appointment. She then found him in the pool of blood in the kitchen/living room area of his home.
Speaking at court, Mr Hourigan said he was related "through marriage" to Mr Foley, who had given him a place to stay when he was homeless in 2023, staying with him for six weeks that year.
On the night in question, Mr Hourigan claimed that he and his then partner, Linda O'Flynn had gone to visit Mr Foley at his home, where they stayed overnight". He then claimed that he said "Linda, what are you after doing?", after spotting Mr Foley in a pool of blood.
Mr Hourigan insisted that he had "no part or role in Michael's murder", stating that Ms O'Flynn had refused to call the emergency services.
The accused claimed that Ms O'Flynn, who was not a party to the trial, had murdered Mr Foley, and he had offered different versions of events to the Gardaí in order to protect her. He also said that he had asked Mr Foley to be godfather to his unborn child, as he though Ms O'Flynn was pregnant at the time.
Daniel Hourigan was cross examined by Jane Hyland, SC for the Prosecution, who put it to the defendant that he had told Gardaí different versions of what happened on the day of Mr Foley's death, to which Mr Hourigan insisted he did to protect "Linda what what she had done".
Ms Hyland asked Mr Hourigan why he did not called for the emergency services, given his close relationship with the deceased, to which he responded by claiming that Ms O'Flynn was in possession of the phone.
The prosecutor then put it to Mr Hourigan that Mr Foley's sustained injuries could only have been done by someone "with strength". Mr Hourigan insisted that he "didn't inflict them injuries".
In her closing remarks, Ms Hyland said that Mr Hourigan told several lies to the Gardaí during interviews in order to protect himself, not Ms O'Flynn. She stated that when Mr Hourigan had left the dead man's home, "he is carrying a black plastic bag containing the murder weapon with Michael Foley's blood on it. We can see Mr Hourigan (on CCTV)". (All quotes according to RTÉ).
She added: "He put that bag on the bus (to Cork city). When the bus stopped on Western Road (in Cork city), Mr Hourigan went to the back of the bus, he took other things out and left the black bag on the bus".
She also said that the accused's palmprint was on the architrave of a door at Mr Foley's house, and that he could not explain why his print was found in the blood of Mr Foley on the door's architrave.
Elsewhere, Dr Margaret Bolster, the assistant state pathologist, said that one of the stab wounds had penetrated Mr Foley's lung, which caused it to collapse, and that one of the slash wounds had penetrated the skull, leading to a huge blood loss.
She said that these wounds led to extensive haemorrhage and ultimately his death.
After excusing the jury from jury services for a period of five years, Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford remanded Mr Hourigan in custody ahead of sentencing on July 30 next.
