A man has been handed the mandatory life sentence for murdering a pensioner in her home in Kilkenny during the first lockdown in 2020.
Trevor Rowe, of Abbey Street, Kilkenny, claimed he was too intoxicated to form the intent to murder Anne Butler, but the jury disagreed and convicted him last month.
Courts Correspondent Frank Greaney has this report for RedFM News, which some listeners may find distressing:
"In March 2020, 70yo Anne Butler was living on her own in Maudlin St, Kilkenny.
On the 25th of that month, Gardaí received three anonymous calls from a man who claimed to have killed a woman in the city.
Their enquiries led them to Trevor Rowe’s door. He then brought them to Anne’s.
Her body was found inside, where it lay undiscovered for five days. The trial heard she met a brutal end.
Rowe had stuffed a piece of cardboard down her throat, blocking her airwaves. He also slit her throat, beat her and stabbed her several times in the back.
Through the victim impact statements read out today, Anne was described as kind, thoughtful, generous, funny, extraordinary, brave and devoted to her family.
Her daughter Elayne said it was difficult to comprehend that her mother wasn’t safe in her own home.
She described her as “her best friend” and told Rowe she awaited his explanation as to why he killed her."
