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The Central Criminal Court trial into the tragic deaths of Louise, Mark, and Evan O'Connor heard vital testimony regarding the mental health history of the accused, Robert O'Connor, who stands trial for triple murder in Louth Village, County Louth.
Robert O'Connor, 32, of Drumgowna, Louth Village, Dundalk, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, or guilty of manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility, following the deaths of his mother Louise O'Connor, 56, his father Mark O'Connor, 54, and his younger special-needs brother Evan O'Connor, 27, at their family home between September 28 and 29, 2025. The jury was previously informed that the accused accepts causing the deaths of the three victims, who sustained a combined total of 139 stab wounds.
Giving evidence to the court, local pharmacist Kim Curtis told prosecution counsel Roisin Lacey SC that she had come to know the accused's mother Louise through her business in Louth Village. Ms Curtis confirmed that since 2022, she had regularly dispensed Aripiprazole, an antipsychotic medication prescribed for schizophrenia, to Mrs O'Connor for her son Robert, alongside Phenergan, a sedative antihistamine prescribed from March 2025 to assist with sleep. The witness recalled an alarming visit on September 1, 2025, when Mrs O'Connor arrived at the pharmacy accompanied by her son and carrying a shoe box.
Upon requesting a private consultation, Mrs O'Connor placed the shoe box on the table, stating that it contained all of Robert's medication. When the pharmacist inspected the container, she discovered between four and five months worth of unconsumed prescription tablets, with some boxes remaining unopened. The witness noted that Mrs O'Connor wanted to make the pharmacy aware that her son was failing to maintain his treatment regimen, explaining that the stash had been discovered hidden inside Robert's wardrobe. Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that during this disclosure, the accused remained completely emotionless, sitting slouched in a chair with glazed eyes while openly admitting to concurrent cocaine use when questioned directly by the pharmacist.
The trial heard further harrowing details regarding escalating behavioral episodes within the household during the weeks leading up to the fatal incident. Ms Curtis recalled a subsequent conversation two weeks after the initial consultation, during which Mrs O'Connor recounted a disturbing incident where Robert came downstairs into the living room while carrying a knife, claiming that an unidentified lady had called or commissioned him to descend. Mrs O'Connor expressed deep concern to the pharmacist that her son must have been suffering from severe hallucinations.
Additional testimony revealed that family members had also discovered the accused frothing at the mouth in his bedroom following a seizure, alongside verbal threats directed toward his mother. Under cross-examination by defence counsel Michael Bowman SC, the witness agreed that Mrs O'Connor was doing her level best to support her son out of profound maternal love, though she remained deeply reluctant to pursue involuntary sectioning under the Mental Health Act despite professional recommendations. Forensic scientists later confirmed that mephedrone was found on the accused during a search at Drogheda Garda Station on September 29, alongside traces of cocaine recovered from the floor of his bedroom. The trial continues before Mr Justice Mícheál P O’Higgins and a jury of six men and six women at the Central Criminal Court.
