73 - The Park: The killing of Rachel Kiely

Mens Rea: A true crime podcast

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True Crime, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 2 August 2020

⏱️ 48 minutes

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Summary

22 year old Rachel Kiely left home in Ballincollig, Co. Cork with her two dogs on the afternoon of the 26th of October 2000. Her dogs returned to the house, but she didn't. A few hours later, her body was discovered hidden in undergrowth at the local park. The person responsible would spend the next two decades in and out of court. ******** Thanks to our sponsors for today’s episode: Sign up for professional online counselling at betterhelp.com/mensrea and get 10% off your first month! Get $20 off your fertility hormone test kit at modernfertility.com/mensrea Try the casual mobile puzzle game Best Fiends today! Find it on the Apple App store and Google Play! Add me - ******** 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! Our featured podcast this week is Riddle Me That! True Crime - check them out! ******** 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: Ralph Riegal, “Park team may have seen killer” in The Evening Herald (28 October 2000) p. 8. Ralph Riegal, “Murdered woman probably strangled” in The Irish Independent (28 October 2000) p. 3. Ralph Riegal, “Flowers and security tape mark the tragic spot” in The Irish Independent (28 October 2000) p. 3. Michael Lavery, “Sex attackers questioned in park murder” in The Evening Herald (30 October 2000) p. 7. “Funeral of strangled Cork girl” in The Irish Independent (31 October 2000) p. 4. “Beautiful Rachel laid to rest” The Evening Herald (31 October 2000) p. 5. Ralph Riegal, “Murdered woman is buried after emotional service” in The Irish Independent (1 November 2000) p. 9. Ralph Riegal, “Gardai to use DNA in bid to find killer” in The Irish Independent (4 November 2000) p. 4. “Blood samples taken in Kiely murder” in The Sunday Tribune (5 November 2000) p. 5. Liam Reid, “Gardai take blood from six men in Rachel hunt” in The Sunday World (5 November 2000) p. 8. Ralph Riegal, “Victim's parents to help with TC appeal” in The Irish Independent (6 November 2000) p. 15. “Teenager held for murder” in The Evening Herald (10 November 2000) p. 24 Ralph Riegal, “Teenager is charged with Rachel's murder” in The Irish Independent (11 November 2000) p. 7. “No bail for youth accused of murder” in The Irish Independent (19 December 2000) p. 7. Niamh Nolan, “Murder accused identified in court” in The Irish Independent (2 May 2002) p. 4. “Accused was 'normal' on murder date” in The Evening Herald (3 May 2002) p. 28. Niamh Nolan, “Accused 'acted normally' night of woman's murder” in The Irish Independent (3 May 2002) p. 6. “Position of murdered woman 'was not natural' says doctor” in The Evening Herald (4 May 2002) p. 11. Niamh Nolan, “Trial hears of woman's bid to flee from parkland killer” in The Irish Independent (9 May 2002) p. 7. Niamh Nolan, “Murder accused's clothing linked to victim, jury told” in The Irish Independent (16 May 2002) p.5. Rita O'Reilly, “DNA expert gives odds at murder trial” in The Irish Independent (30 May 2002) p. 7. Rita O'Reilly, “Jury told to quiz member accused of falling asleep” in The Irish Independent (31 May 2002) p. 14. Rita O'Reilly, “Death trial hears plea by mother” in The Evening Herald (12 June 2002) p. 24. Rita O'Reilly, “Wedding holds up jury verdict in murder trial” in The Irish Independent (15 June 2002) p. 3. Rita O'Reilly, “Forensic evidence convinces jury of teenager's guilt” in The Irish Independent (19 June 2002) p. 4. “Victim's mother fist to meet murderer on way from crime” in The Irish Independent (19 June 2002) p. 4. Niamh Nolan, “I believe Rachel is asleep in the ground and will come back” in The Evening Herald (19 June 2002) Niamh O'Connor, “Mum recalls agony of the day her girl never came home” in The Sunday World (23 June 2002) p. 8. Niamh Nolan and Rita O'Reilly, “Murderer serving life gets 10 years for rape” in The Irish Independent ( 23 November 2002) p. 7 Niamh O'Connor, “Most notorious paths to freedom” in The Sunday World (16 January 2005) p. 53. Eleanor Burnhill, “Mother tells murder trial of daughter's fatal walk in park” in The Irish Independent (22 February 2006) p. 10. Eleanor Burnhill, “I heard a wailing at death spot” in The Evening Herald (24 February 2006) p. 34. “Accused said beautician was 'beaten'” in The Irish Independent (28 February 2006) p. 4. “Murder accused gave neighbours death details” in The Evening Herald (28 February 2006) p. 28. “Jury in Rachel murder trial reconvenes” in The Irish Independent (10 March 2006) p. 23. John Lawrence, “Fury over jail term for killer” in The Evening Herald (11 March 2006) p. 6 Grainne Cunningham, “Sentence too lenient, insists anguished family of victim” in The Irish Independent (11 March 2006) p. 7. “Quotes of the Week” in The Irish Independent (19 March 2006) p. 32. “Rachel death: beautician was ambushed” in the Evening Herald (19 April 2007) p. 10. Ann O'Loughlin, “Rachel's family is relieved at killers new 12-year term” in The Irish Independent (20 April 2007) Ann O'Loughlin, “Family tell of relief at Rachel killer's sentence” in The Evening Herald (20 April 2007) p. 19. Ralph Riegal, “Rachel killer gets eight more years for robbery” in The Evening Herald (20 November 2007) p. 24. Ralph Riegal, “A killer, a rapist and a robber: eight more years in jail for post office raid while on bail” in The Irish Independent (21 November 2007) p. 9. Ralph Riegal, “Further prison term ' means nothing' to Rachel's family” in The Irish Independent (21 November 2007) p. 9 “Killer appeals theft conviction” in The Evening Herald (12 December 2008) Visit our website for a full list of source: mensreapod.com

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to the mens rea podcast and this is the story of Rachel Keeley. The Oh, Balancholyk is a pretty village sitting alongside the river Lee that flows through County Cork to the southern coast of Ireland.
0:49.0	It was once the location of one of the largest gunpowder mills in Britain and Ireland, but is now effectively a suburb of Cork City, and a nice little town to live in.
0:59.0	Along with a mix of old village scenery and modern new builds builds there's a large regional park where the mill used to be which is bordered to the north by the river.
1:10.0	Just outside the gates to the park is Inishmore Estate, where in the year 2000, the Keeley family lived.
1:17.0	John and Rose had married many years previously, and they had four children together, three girls and a boy.
1:25.0	What set the family apart was their faith.
1:28.0	The Kileys were members of the small community of Jehovah's Witnesses and Cork. It was what had brought John and Rose together and was very important in their family life.
1:39.0	Their daughter Rachel was very involved in the local congregation and was devoted to her faith.
1:45.2	After leaving secondary school at Baland College, she began training as a beautician.
1:51.2	In part because she knew a career in that sector would leave plenty of time for
1:55.6	her to do missionary work with the witnesses, which she was passionate about.
2:00.6	In the summer of that year, at the age of of 22 Rachel made a trip to Italy with her sister
2:06.0	where she worked for a short period as an au pair but soon the two girls returned home together.
2:12.0	She was known as a sweet, kind and pretty girl and
2:15.1	had a boyfriend who was one of her group of friends in the Jehovah's Witnesses.
2:19.4	On Thursday the 26th of October 2000, Rachel left her family home to take her two dogs for a walk in the park.
2:28.0	She had been studying her Bible before she left and had a Bible study meeting that evening to attend.
2:34.8	She left home at about half four telling her mother that she'd have her dinner
2:38.9	when she came back. About an hour later though Rose heard a scratching at the door.
2:45.0	The dogs had returned home without Rachel.
2:48.0	It was immediately apparent that something was wrong,
2:52.0	and Rose and her teenage daughter Elizabeth
	...

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