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Mens Rea: A true crime podcast

117 - The Burden They Carry: The murder of Marie Kilmartin

Mens Rea: A true crime podcast

GoLoud

Society & Culture

4.71.4K Ratings

🗓️ 8 November 2022

⏱️ 41 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In December of 1993, 35 year old Marie Kilmartin got a phone call. Then, she left her house and never returned. Marie's body was recovered some six months later, in a bog 25 km from her home in Portlaoise. She had been strangled. Why would anyone want to hurt this friendly, vulnerable woman? ********* Find us on Facebook or Twitter! With thanks to our supporters on Patreon! Donate today to get access to bonus and ad-free episodes! Check out the Mens Rea Merch Store! ********* Theme Music: Quinn’s Song: The Dance Begins Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Additional Music: Allemande (Sting) by Wahneta Meixsell. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ********* Sources: “Missing person” in The Cork Examiner (22 December 1993) p. 24. “Missing woman appeal” in The Irish Press (22 December 1993) p. 4 “Missing woman” in The Nationalist (24 December 1993) p. 7 “Search continues for missing Portlaoise woman” in The Leinster Express (25 December 1993) p 1 “Portlaoise woman still missing” in The Leinster Express (1 January 1994) p. 1. “Portlaoise woman still missing” in The Leinster Express(8 January 1994) p. 4. “Gardai call for information on missing woman” in The Evening Echo (12 January 1994) p. 9 “Missing woman” in The Irish Independent (29 January 1994) p. 4 Don Lavery, “Bid to identify woman’s body found in bog drain” in The Evening Herald (11 June 1994) p. 1 “Woman’s body in bog sparks murder inquiry” in The Evening Herald (13 June 1994) p. 4. Paulette O’Connor, “Probe as body found in bog” in The Irish Press (13 June 1994) p. 2 “Murder hunt for killer of woman left in bog” in The Irish Press (14 June 1994) p. 2 “Mystery phone caller sought” in The Irish Press (14 June 1994) p. 2 Stephen Rae, “Murdered girl knew killer say gardai” in The Evening Herald (14 June 1994) p.2. Eilish O’Regan, “Care worker was ‘in distress’” in The Irish Independent (14 June 1994) p. 7 “Midlands woman was murdered” in The Cork Examiner (14 June 1994) p. 3 Mairead Carey, “Anguish in Galway at funeral of slain woman” in The Irish Press (15 June 1994) p. 10 Barry O’Kelly, “Gardai are following strong lead in bog case” in The Irish Press (15 June 1994) p. 10. Eamon Timmins, “Gardai follow murder leads” in The Cork Examiner (15 June 1994) p. 5 “Murder hunt as woman’s body is found in bog drain” in The Westmeath Independent (17 June 1994) p. 10 “Kilmartin family thank Gardai and public” in The Westmeath Independent (17 June 1994) p. 10 “Ballinasloe and Athlone mourns tragic death of Marie Kilmartin” in The Westmeath Independent (17 June 1994) p.p. 1, 10 Harry Casey, “Definite line of enquiry in death of Marie” in The Connacht Tribune (17 June 1994) p. 1, 10. “No developments in Kilmartin murder hunt” in The Offaly Independent (24 June 1994) p. 15 Stephen Rae, “Two men held over body-in-bog killing” in The Evening Herald (25 June 1994) p. 1 “Men are released” in The Cork Examiner (27 June 1994) p. 2. “Murder probes proceed” in The Connacht Tribune (1 July 1994) p. 20 “Bog death probe” in The Irish Independent (28 July 1994) p. 3 “Kilmartin inquest adjourned” in The Leinster Express(6 August 1994) p. 40 “Murderer still at large” in The Leinster Express (31 December 1994) p. 19 “Woman in bog drain ‘strangled’” in The Evening Herald(15 June 1995) p 4. “Woman was strangled inquest told” in The Nationalist(23 June 1995) p 5 “Murder investigation continuing, inquest told” in The Leinster Express (24 June 1995) p. 11 “Marie’s murder – no link, Supt.” In The Nationalist(26 April 1996) p 13 Peter Teach “Laois/Offaly crime goes against trend” in The Nationalist (9 August 1996) p. 7 Cormac Looney, “New reward in bid to trace Jo Jo” in The Evening Herald (9 November 2005) p. 26 Cormac O’Keefe, “Appeal for information on dead and missing women” in The Irish Examiner (10 November 2005) p 7 Cormac Looney, “’Wolfman’ to face Marie murder quiz” in The Evening Herald (15 November 2005) p. 2 Darren O’Loughlin, “Renewed appeal on Kilmartin murder” in The Leinster Express (16 November 2005) p 6-7 Cormac Looney, “No leads found in search for missing women” in The Evening Herald (30 December 2005) p. 16-17. Dara deFaoite, “Aine bids to solve mum’s murder” in The Irish Independent (16 December 2006) p. 12 Mary Regan, “Search for birth mother turns to hunt for her killer” in the Irish Examiner (16 December 2006) Ryan Dunne, “Who killed Marie Kilmartin 13 years ago?” in The Leinster Express (20 December 2006) p. 2-3. Jane Last, “Gardai reopen murder probe” in The Evening Herald (25 April 2007) p 23 Jim Cusack, “How can my mother’s killer live a normal life?” in The Sunday Independent (11 November 2007) p. 8 Conor Ganly, “gardai renew appeal in Kilmartin case” in The Leinster Express (20 February 2008) p 5 Alan O’Keefe, “Three still held over 1993 killing of Marie” in The Evening Herald (22 September 2008) p 17 Eimear Ni Bhraonain, “Three held over 1993 abduction and murder of woman” in The Irish Independent (23 September 2008) p. 4. Tom Brady, “No case will be forgotten promises garda chief” in The Irish Independent (23 September 2008) p. 4 Cormac O’Keefe, “Three held in 15-year-old murder case” in The Irish Examiner (23 September 2008) p 5 Cormac Ganly, “Kilmartin suspects quizzed” in The Leinster Express (24 September 2008) p. 1, 4. Eimear Ni Bhraonain, “Gardai release three quizzed on 1993 murder” in The Irish Independent (24 September 2008) p. 6 Michelle Hogan, “Cold case probe into horror Laois murder” in The Leinster Express (13 August 2019) p. 6 Michelle McDonagh, “On the trail of a killer” in The Irish Times https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/on-the-trail-of-a-killer-1.1290245 (16 January 2007). Barry Cummins, Missing (Dublin: Gill Books, YEAR) pp 34-44

Transcript

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0:00.0

You're listening to the Men's Rea podcast, and this is the story of Marie Killmarten.

0:30.0

In 1993, Marie Killmarten was 35 years old, and she lived in Port Leish, a large town in the Midlands.

0:50.9

But she was originally from Ballon Aslow, County, Gotway.

0:54.8

Marie shared a house with her best friend Pat Doyle who worked as a nurse in a local hospital

1:00.6

Marie spent her time volunteering at a local day center for the elderly in the town.

1:06.8

On Thursday 16 December, at about 4 p.m., Marie Killmarten entered her home in Belad, not far from

1:13.8

the center of the town. Friends who also worked at the past day center dropped Marie to her door

1:19.6

that day after a Christmas party had been held for staff and clients there. But when Pat Doyle arrived

1:26.6

back home from her own shift that evening, the shared house in Belad was empty. The lights were

1:32.6

off, and the alarm set. A bag of shopping had been left by Marie hanging from the back of a chair

1:38.4

in the kitchen, indicating to Pat, that wherever Marie had gone she hadn't intended to be that long.

1:44.7

That said, Marie had told Pat that a number of the staff at the day center were planning on

1:49.3

meeting in a pub in the town for Christmas drinks, and Pat thought it was possible that Marie had

1:53.9

decided to go. Barry Cummings writing in his book Missing said it was unheard of for Marie not to

2:00.9

keep in touch and let Pat know where she was, and the very fact that Marie wasn't in was unusual.

2:08.3

She was an anxious sort of person and didn't often go out on her own. Marie hadn't left a note

2:14.0

for Pat either, which would have been their normal habit to let each other know where they were,

2:19.1

and so Pat waited on a phone call. Again, this was their usual routine, and Pat expected that Marie

2:25.6

would let her know where she was by ringing the house. But no call came, and Marie never returned

2:32.8

home. Within a few days, articles reporting her disappearance gave Marie's physical description.

2:40.1

She was five foot two in height of average build with a short dark blonde hair. She was thought

2:46.2

to have been wearing a plum and gray two-piece suit with a grayish, tweet coat, and may have had

...

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