Billy Burns' jury rejects insanity defence and finds Kerry man guilty of murdering his mother
by Eoin Reynolds and Alison O'Riordan
A jury has unanimously convicted a Kerry man of murdering his 75-year-old mother, rejecting his claim that he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity, having strangled her to death at her home three years ago while suffering a manic episode related to bipolar disorder.
The jury accepted the prosecution's case that the cause of 55-year-old Billy Burns' killing his mother, Miriam Burns, was not mental illness but his "long-term abuse of drugs and alcohol" and anger towards his mother.
The trial heard that Burns had been aggressive and violent towards his mother since he was a teenager and on one occasion broke his mother's jaw.
Following Monday's verdict, Ms Justice Karen O'Connor, who presided in the trial, adjourned the matter to this Friday when Burns faces the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. Members of the Burns family will be invited to make statements to the court.
During the one-week trial at the Central Criminal Court, two psychiatrists differed on whether Billy Burns qualified for a special verdict of not guilty of murder by reason of insanity.
Burns' treating psychiatrist Dr Eugene Morgan, who was called by the defence, told the trial that the defendant was suffering from hypomania due to bipolar affective disorder and met the criteria for the special verdict.
Dr Stephen Monks, a consultant psychiatrist at the Central Mental Hospital, said that despite Burns's mental illness, he understood the nature and quality of his actions when killing his mother, knew it was wrong and was able to refrain from the killing.
The jury of eight men and four women at the Central Criminal Court took six hours and eight minutes to reject Billy Burns' plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
Miriam Burns (75), was found dead at her home at Ardshanavooley, Killarney, Co Kerry on August 15th, 2022, when her other family members asked neighbours to check on her.
The prosecution alleged that Burns (55), who had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, inflicted the fatal injuries on August 12th or 13th.
A pathologist's report showed that she died from manual strangulation associated with blunt force trauma to the head.
