DUBLIN — 2012 · Murder
Murder of Elaine O'Hara
Elaine O'Hara, a childcare worker living in Dublin, disappeared after she was last seen at a park in Shanganagh on 22 August 2012. A year later, in September 2013, anglers spotted a bag in the Vartry Reservoir in Wicklow containing handcuffs, rope and two mobile phones; days later a dog walker came across skeletal remains on Killakee Mountain. Phone records and messages led investigators to a married architect. He was convicted of murder in March 2015 and sentenced to life. A long-running challenge argued that the phone data had been retained in breach of EU law, but in 2024 Ireland's Supreme Court unanimously upheld the conviction.
- Date
- 2012
- Place
- Dublin Mountains, Ireland, Dublin, IE
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 53.2440, -6.3020 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 22 August 2012O'Hara was last seen.
- 10 September 2013A bag containing evidence was found in the Vartry Reservoir.
- 13 September 2013Remains were found on Killakee Mountain; identity was confirmed four days later.
- March 2015The defendant was convicted of murder and sentenced to life.
- 31 July 2024The Supreme Court rejected the data-retention challenge and upheld the conviction.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Murder of Elaine O'Hara en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Irish Examiner — Conviction upheld by Supreme Court irishexaminer.com ↗
- Irish Times — Ten chance events that unmasked the killer irishtimes.com ↗
- Wikipedia
- Irish Examiner
- Irish Times
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.