55 - Murder by Arson: The McCann Family

Mens Rea: A true crime podcast

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True Crime, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 24 November 2019

⏱️ 63 minutes

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Summary

In the summer of 1992, the McCann Family endured a series of gas leaks in their home, and a spate of threatening phone calls. These nuisances escalated quickly though, and culminated in a raging fire in their Rathfarnham home. Esther McCann and her foster daughter, Jessica, died in the blaze. Investigators ruled that this was a case of arson, and gardai quickly discovered that Frank McCann - the grieving father and husband - had some dark secrets. ********** The featured podcast this week is a new one. Don't forget to check out Apple for the Teacher podcast. Find us on Facebook or Twitter! With thanks to our supporters on Patreon! Donate today to get access to bonus and ad-free episodes! ********** 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: “Sex abuse that beggars belief” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/sex-abuse-that-beggars-belief-26200037.html (30 January 1998) Ray Managh, “Family claim against killer of daughter and her child” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/family-claim-against-killer-of-daughter-and-her-child-26180722.html (17 July 1998) Ray Managh, “McCann to renew appeal on wife killing” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/mccann-to-renew-appeal-on-wife-killing-26176066.html (1 August 1998) Ray Managh, “Blaze victim's mother wins £90,000 payout” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/blaze-victims-mother-wins-90000-payout-26171143.html (9 October 1998) Bernie O'Toole, “Wife murderer 'quite capable of killing again” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/wife-murderer-quite-capable-of-killing-again-26171294.html (10 October 1998) Nicola Tallant, “No remorse from killer who burned wife, baby to death” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/no-remorse-from-killer-who-burned-wife-baby-to-death-26418038.html (29 October 2006) Catherine Murphy, “We won't be safe is my sister's killer is released” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/we-wont-be-safe-if-my-sisters-killer-is-released-26893675.html (2 September 2012) Conor Feehan, “Pictured: Double murderer serving life for killing wife and daughter gets taste of freedom with new prison job” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/pictured-double-murderer-serving-life-for-killing-wife-and-daughter-gets-a-taste-of-freedom-with-new-prison-job-35948540.html (19 July 2017) Conor Feehan, “'He Should never be free' – family's horror as killer prepares for release” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/he-should-never-be-free-familys-horror-as-killer-prepares-for-release-38165850.html (31 May 2019) Paul O'Neill and Frank McNally, “The 'distraught husband' who was unmasked as a cold killer” in The Irish Times (16 August 1996) p 6. “McCann sits impassively as verdict is read to court” in The Irish Times (16 August 1996) p 6. Frank McNally and Paul O'Neill, “Charismatic figure with reputation for clean living” in The Irish Times (16 August 1996) p 6. Frank McNally and Paul O'Neill, “A loving woman unaware of sinister developments” in The Irish Times (16 August 1996) p 6. “Garda shown mass card addressed to publican” in The Irish Times (13 January 1994) p 5. “Jury in trial of publican charged with murder may retire today” in The Irish Times (13 August 1996) p 3. Frank McNally, “Frank McCann: Consummate actor' and calculating killer” in The Irish Times (17 August 1996) p 7. https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/frank-mccann-consummate-actor-and-calculating-killer-1.77547 “Jurors told the State has no case against defendant in murder trial” in The Irish Times (14 August 1996) p 5. “Blowtorch had been turned to 'on' position says detective” in The Irish Times (18 January 1994) p 17. “Brothers were told of suicide pact, trial hears” in The Irish Times (1 August 1996) p 6. “Murder accused claims gardai threatened him at interview” in The Irish Times (7 August 1996) p 3. “Judge alerts the jury to unsupported evidence in publican's murder trial” in The Irish Times (15 August 1996) p 7. "Trial told about death of woman and child” in The Irish Times (20 June 1996) p 4. “Fire as described to gardai would have injured arsonist, scientist tells trial” in The Irish Times (10 August 1996) p 3. “Publican says wife was told of adoption problem with baby before fatal fire” in The Irish Times (8 August 1996) p 4. “Decision today on murder case” in The Irish Times (31 January 1994) p 4. Frank McNally, “Publican sentenced to life for murder of wife, baby” in The Irish Times (16 August 1996) p 1. “Man in murder case remanded” in The Irish Times (27 April 1993) p 3 “Gardai to investigate threat to husband” in The Irish Times (9 September 1992) p 3. Paul O'Neill, “Fatal fire investigated” in The Irish Times (5 September 1992) p 4. Stephen Rae, Killers; Murders in Ireland (Dublin: Blackwater Press, 1998) p.p. 21-38.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You were listening to the mens rea podcast and this is the story of the McCann family murders. Oh, Esther O'Brien was from Tremore, County Waterford. She was the youngest child in her family and Esther was described by them as a cheerful, lively and friendly person, and her family said that she had a love of children.
0:58.0	In 1973, Esther had set off on her own and moved over two hours away from her home to Dublin.
1:05.3	There Esther took up a place at University College Dublin, U C.D. in their undergraduate
1:11.8	psychology program, but she left the course before she graduated and focused
1:17.0	instead on word processing and computers.
1:21.4	After that, Esther had a number of administrative and secretarial jobs.
1:26.5	Even in her early adult life Esther had known tragedy. In her 20s she had lost the love of her life in a motor bike accident and
1:36.4	just shortly after his death Esther discovered she was carrying his baby. Her family was very supportive of her during this awful time and they
1:47.1	helped to get her settled in a home and to start life with the child. But devastatingly that wasn't the end to the horrible misfortune
1:57.6	that Esther faced. Just a few months after giving birth, her baby passed away from Cotta.
2:06.0	One of the positions that Esther worked in was in the upmarket hotel on Dublin's George and
2:11.4	Stephen's Green, the Shelburne. While working there in
2:15.2	1986 she met Frank McCann for mutual friends. At the time that the two met Esther was going out with someone else.
2:24.8	That relationship ended a number of months later when Esther decided to stay in Ireland
2:30.9	rather than move to Australia with that man. When Frank heard that Esther was single,
2:36.4	he asked their mutual friends to set them up. The two started dating and after an intense whirlwind romance, Frank McCann and Esther O'Brien were married on the 22nd of May, 1987, barely a year after they first started going out.
2:56.5	Frank McCann was born in 1960.
2:59.3	He was one of five kids in the family, four boys and a girl, and they all grew up in the peaceful South Dublin
3:05.3	suburb of Teragnor.
3:08.0	McCann attended Templow College and was heavily involved in swimming. He trained and took part in competitions and would go on to be a noted international swimmer for Ireland.
3:21.0	Later in life he continued to take part in the sport but as a coach and as president of the
3:27.7	Lenster branch of the Irish Amateur Swimming Association.
	...

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