A bloodstained woman who was found naked on a Dublin street after fatally stabbing her 76-year-old mother told a garda at the scene: "I killed my mother, I killed her, she is inside covered in blood."
It was during the opening of the Central Criminal Court trial of murder accused Moire Bergin on Tuesday that a prosecuting barrister said the consultant psychiatrists for both the State and defence are in agreement that the defendant was suffering from a mental disorder when she fatally stabbed her mother to death.
Fiona Murphy SC, defending Ms Bergin, told the jury it was accepted by her client that she had committed the physical act.
Moire Bergin (47), with an address at Seville Place in Dublin 1, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the murder of her mother Mary Bergin in her home at First Avenue, Seville Place in Dublin 1 on April 13th, 2022.
Opening the prosecution’s case on Tuesday, Mr James Dwyer SC told the 12 jurors that both the prosecution and defence took the same view in the case and that both sides suggested that Ms Bergin was not guilty of the offence by reason of insanity.
Counsel told the jury that there was overwhelming evidence that Ms Bergin had killed her mother, Mary Bergin.
There will be expert evidence from both the State and the defence, Mr Dwyer said, and both psychiatrists are in agreement that Ms Bergin was suffering from a mental disorder at the time, namely a bipolar disorder.
He said both psychiatrists will give evidence that the accused did not know the nature and quality of the act, that she did not know what she was doing was wrong and that she was unable to refrain from her actions at the time.
Mr Dwyer added: "There needs to be only one of those three ingredients for the defence to be made out; in this case both psychiatrists agree that all three ingredients are present".
Outlining the facts of the case, Mr Dwyer said that the accused Ms Bergin had struggled with her mental health over the years. He said the accused's mother, Mary Bergin, was originally from Cootehill in Co Cavan and had two children.
Counsel said Mary Bergin was living at First Avenue in Seville Place and that the defendant lived nearby in a flat but spent much of her time in her mother's house.
Mr Dwyer told the jury that gardaí found the defendant naked on the street with blood on her hands and legs when they attended the scene at First Avenue at 11.15am on April 13th. He said that people on the street were trying to place clothing on the accused.
The court heard further evidence will be that when a garda cautioned the accused, she replied: "I killed my mother, I killed her, she is inside covered in blood".
The court will also hear evidence, the lawyer said, that gardaí found two knives at the scene, one near the front door of the house and the other behind a chest of drawers. He said one of the knives contained the deceased's DNA.
The barrister further stated that State Pathologist Dr Heidi Okkers carried out a postmortem on Mary Bergin and found stab wounds to the neck and forehead as well as defensive injuries to the back of the forearms.
Mr Dwyer said that Mary Bergin had experienced significant blood loss which had caused organ failure and death.
The prosecution barrister went on to tell the court that a 999 call had been made by Mary Bergin earlier that morning seeking an ambulance for her daughter, who was naked in the back garden.
There will be evidence, Mr Dwyer said, that CCTV footage showed the accused leaving her mother's home in her dressing gown at 4.37am on April 13th and that she was later seen genuflecting and lying on the ground.
The barrister further stated that the deceased Mary Bergin was seen leaving her house at 6.30am and going to buy cigarettes at a nearby shop before returning home.
He also said the accused went to a funeral home in her dressing gown at 10.49am that morning and asked somebody if she could get flowers before returning to First Avenue.
Counsel also indicated to the jury that they would hear that the accused went to the shop later that morning and told a woman she had killed her mother before the gardaí were called.
The court heard further evidence will be that during interviews at Store Street Garda Station the accused talked "about the devil being the ruination of souls" and having seen the devil in her mother's eyes.
In summary, Mr Dwyer said the State was confident that the jury would be satisfied that the accused had killed her mother and that she was suffering from a mental disorder at the time.
Giving evidence on Monday, Detective Sergeant John Brady told Mr Dwyer that Garda Sonia Buggy attended First Avenue at 11.55am on April 13th and observed a naked woman wearing only slippers. Gda Buggy noted that there was a large amount of blood on the woman's hands and legs.
Det Sgt Brady agreed that the woman, who the court heard was the accused, had grabbed Gda Buggy's arm and said: "I killed my mother, I killed her, she's inside covered in blood".
The detective said another garda had noted the accused was highly distressed and that her coat was on the footpath. The accused told the garda: "I had to kill her, I just had to, I need a psychiatrist, he'll know what to do with me....my father is dead in the Mater Hospital".
Det Sgt Brady told the jury that the dining area inside the deceased's house was in a state of disarray with bloody footprints on the floor and blood covering the walls.
The witness said the deceased's body was in the corner of a bedroom, lying on the ground. There were bloodstains on the mattress. The deceased had wounds on the neck and head area, he said.
Det Sgt Brady agreed with Mr Dwyer that the defendant was very distressed and asked whether she could go and say goodbye to her mother.
A priest at the scene told gardaí that the accused said to him: "I killed mammy and I want a confession".
He said Mary Bergin was pronounced dead at 12.57pm that day. He said the investigation revealed that a 999 call had been made at 2.22am that morning by Mary Bergin seeking an ambulance for her daughter who was naked in the back garden. "She wanted an ambulance and not gardaí to attend," said the detective.
Det Sgt Brady said CCTV footage showed the accused praying at a statue of the Virgin Mary before returning to her mother's house at 5.42am that morning.
He said other footage showed the accused going to the shop at 11.39am that morning and speaking to a woman she knew. In her statement, the woman told gardaí that the accused asked to speak to her and said very casually: "I got a secret. I cut my ma's throat and she is dead".
The woman told gardaí that the accused began walking back to First Avenue at this point and took off her coat. The woman said she asked the accused: "Moire, are you in the nude again?". The woman said there was blood on the accused's breasts and belly.
A neighbour told gardaí that she saw the accused walking up First Avenue and as she crossed the road she said: "Will you call the guards I'm after killing my mother... I need to be put away, I'm after killing my mother". The neighbour said she saw dried blood on the accused's legs.
The witness said that Dr Okkers concluded that the deceased had sustained multiple sharp force injuries to the head and neck from a knife. The cause of death was hypokalemia from blunt and sharp force injuries to the head and neck.
Det Sgt Brady said when Gda Buggy arrested the defendant on suspicion of murder and cautioned her, she asked: "Can I go back in and say goodbye?"
He told the jury that when the accused was in the smoking area of the Garda station, she turned to a garda and said: "Did you see the evil in her eyes, my mother's eyes, she's dead".
The accused then asked the garda: "Is she dead, please God she is dead, I hope she's dead".
The trial continues on Tuesday afternoon before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of six men and six women.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can freephone the Samaritans 24 hours a day for confidential support at 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. Alternatively, the contact information for a range of mental health supports is available at mentalhealthireland.ie/get-support.
