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Coroner Says It's Not Clear Wh...

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Coroner Says It's Not Clear What Caused Cork Double Murder Suicide

Tom Douglas
Tom Douglas

05:52 17 Nov 2021


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The coroner of an inquest examining a suspected murder suicide in Cork said it was not clear what caused the terrible tragedy.

A jury found Willie and Paddy Hennesy were unlawfully killed, while younger brother Johnny took his own life.

Several possible reasons were put forward to try to make sense of the tragedy that occured on the 25th of February.

When 59 year old Johnny killed his older brothers Willie and Paddy with an axe, before taking his own life.

The inquest heard that Johnny rang his sister on the day he died, claiming his brothers had hit him.

But when contacted by gardai, Johnny said the incident had been resolved.

He added there was no need for them to come to the farm near Mitchelstown.

John McGrath, a friend of the three brothers, said Johnny had encroached on Paddy’s log business while Paddy was recovering from a stroke, causing friction.

However, Kitty Russel, Paddy’s former partner, said it had been Willie who got involved with Paddy’s customers, and there had been no issue over it.

And multiple family members and friends testified to the strong relationship between the brothers.

Coroner Dr Michael Kennedy said a garda investigation was unable to find a motive, and ultimately, what caused the incident remains unclear.


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