Man found guilty of murdering host who took him and his mother in

A 23-year-old man, Brian Ibe, has been convicted of the murder of 65-year-old Peter Kennedy, who had previously offered shelter to Ibe’s mother upon discovering she was living in her car. Ibe, formerly of Moore Park, Newbridge, Co Kildare, had pleaded not guilty to the murder by reason of insanity. After nearly seven hours of deliberation over three days, the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict. He was also found guilty of assault causing harm to Garda Brendan O’Donnell at Newbridge Garda Station following his arrest around April 29, 2020.

The court heard that Peter Kennedy had taken in Ibe’s mother, Martha, after learning of her homelessness. In 2019, he also allowed Ibe to move in. However, around Christmas that year, Ibe became aggressive and threatened Kennedy, leading the latter to contact the gardaí. Following this incident, Ibe was asked to leave and subsequently moved to a homeless shelter in Walkinstown, Dublin.

On April 28, 2020, Ibe traveled by taxi from Walkinstown to Kennedy’s residence, forcibly entered by breaking a window, and assaulted the elderly man. Kennedy succumbed to his injuries in the hospital two weeks later, on May 12. Ibe also assaulted Garda Brendan O’Donnell during his detention at Newbridge Garda Station.

During the trial, Ibe’s defense presented testimony from two psychiatrists who diagnosed him with schizophrenia, suggesting he was undergoing a psychotic episode during the assaults, thereby meeting the criteria for a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. In contrast, Dr. Mary Davoren, called by the prosecution, disagreed with this diagnosis, asserting that Ibe exhibited dissocial personality disorder, which does not qualify for the insanity defense. She noted that Ibe first reported hearing voices over a year after being remanded in custody, coinciding with his awareness of the possibility of an insanity verdict.

Ms. Justice Melanie Greally informed the jury that, given Ibe’s plea, he accepted responsibility for causing Kennedy’s death and the assault on Garda O’Donnell. She highlighted the differing psychiatric opinions and explained that, under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act, the onus was on the defense to prove, on the balance of probabilities, that Ibe was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the offenses, absolving him of responsibility.

Following the guilty verdicts, Justice Greally remanded Ibe in custody, scheduling sentencing for May 19. He faces a mandatory life sentence for the murder conviction.