RICHARD Burke has been jailed for 14 years after being found guilty of the manslaughter of Jasmine McMonagle.
Mr Justice Paul Burns has today passed sentence on Burke (32) who was found not guilty of murdering Jasmine McMonagle (28) but guilty of her manslaughter earlier this year.
Burke, of Killygordon, has been sentenced to 15 years with the final year suspended for five years.
Prior to his release, Burke must undergo a psychiatric assessment and must comply with the medical regime put in place by doctors. He must also comply with all requirements of the probation service or he will serve the final year of the sentence.
Burke had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms McMonagle at Forest Park, Killygordon on January 4, 2019 but guilty to manslaughter.
The court heard that his responsibility for the killing was substantially diminished by a mental disorder. One of the doctors noted that the disorder “may have been triggered or exacerbated” by drug use.
The mother of two was found in a pool of blood in the kitchen of her home following a three hour standoff between Burke and Gardaí.
Last month, the mother of Jasmine, told how she relives the killing and wonders if her daughter called out for her family before she died.
Jacqueline McMonagle had told the court hearing that when it came to Burke, “the only word that comes to mind is evil”.
In a separate victim impact statement, Jasmine’s oldest daughter said that killer Richard Burke had tried to teach her mother Martial Arts, but what Jasmine really needed was defending from him.
The Criminal Court trial sitting in Monaghan had also heard from two psychiatrists who both agreed that Burke was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the killing which substantially diminished his responsibility.
The trial heard Gardaí attended the house in Forest Park, Killygordon following a 999 call by Ms McMonagle at 4.21am stating that she was in fear for her life.
The first officers on the scene were confronted by Burke brandishing a butcher-style meat cleaver which he swung at one of the members of the force, making contact with his clothing and narrowly missing his arm.
A garda went to the rear of the property shortly after 5am and saw Ms McMonagle’s lifeless body lying in a pool of blood after he looked through a small gap in the curtains of a kitchen window.
A trained crisis negotiator was deployed at the scene and efforts to gain access to the house continued for some time before gardaí decided immediate and forced entry to the property was needed after Ms McMonagle’s young daughter was seen at a front bedroom window of the house.
During three garda interviews which took place following the killing, Burke told investigating officers he “went ballistic” and started punching Ms McMonagle and strangling her with a rope. He said he was still holding the rope when gardaí knocked.
MORE to follow in Thursday’s Donegal News. Available in shops or online at https://my.donegalnews.com/
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