A man has been brought before the court on charges of murdering his father, mother, and brother. Robert O’Connor, aged 31 and residing in Drumgowna, Louth Village, faced accusations of killing his father Mark, aged 54, his mother Louise, aged 56, and his brother Evan, aged 27, at their residence in the village. The bodies were discovered around 10 am on a Monday.
Appearing at a special session of the Drogheda District Court, Robert stood before Judge Stephanie Coggans facing three murder charges. Garda Sane O’Malley from Drogheda Garda Station provided testimony regarding the arrest, charging, and cautioning of Robert for the three murder charges.
Robert was taken into custody at Drogheda Garda Station at 4:43 pm and was formally charged with three counts of murder. Following the cautioning, the accused remained silent as reported by the Irish Mirror. The accused’s solicitor, Paul James Moore, requested a psychiatric evaluation, citing the accused’s history with mental health services since the age of 22. Judge Coggans ordered a psychiatric assessment and granted legal aid for representation during all proceedings.
Given the nature of the charges, Robert did not seek bail during the District Court session, as bail hearings for murder charges are exclusive to the High Court. He was remanded in custody to appear via video link before the Drogheda District Court at 10:30 am on October 6. Dressed in a grey top and black tracksuit bottoms, Robert did not speak during the brief court appearance.
His brother Cian, accompanied by the family’s garda liaison officer, was present at the court hearing.
