County Limerick man admits murdering grandmother whose body was found in burning car

A COUNTY Limerick man has pleaded guilty to murdering a 72-year-old grandmother whose body was found in a burning car.

Michael Leonard, aged 63, of Hillcrest, Glenosheen, Kilmallock appeared before the Central Criminal Court in Dublin for a brief arraignment hearing this Monday morning.

When the charge that he murdered Mary O'Keeffe in Doneraile, North Cork last year was formally put to him, he responded, "guilty".

The court did not hear any evidence regarding the murder as Mr Justice Paul McDermott adjourned sentencing until December 14 when Ms O'Keefe's family will have an opportunity to make an impact statement.

Busy Limerick post office unable to open due to circumstances beyond control

At a bail hearing last year Detective  Sergeant James O'Shea said gardaí and fire services were called to the scene of a burning vehicle in which was Ms O'Keeffe's body at 2.20pm on February 4, 2021.

Mr Justice Robert Eager refused bail and Leonard remains in custody.

During the bail hearing last year Leonard's defence counsel Marc Thompson Grolimund BL said that his client had a good work record and that he had worked for 41 years for Coillte before becoming a consultant and retiring 12 months earlier.

Taking the stand, Leonard told Mr Grolimund that he would "absolutely" not approach any witness in the case and would "not speak to anyone in the case, bar my solicitor".
 
Mr Justice Eagar said that Ms O'Keeffe had suffered an "appalling" death and that he had taken into account the "degree and seriousness" of the charge of murder when denying bail, after hearing evidence from Det Sgt O'Shea and Mr Leonard.  

The late Ms O’Keeffe lived in Dromahane, near Mallow, in County Cork and worked as a cook.  She is survived by her three sons.

A post-mortem was carried out on her body at Cork University Hospital on February 5.

The results of the post-mortem, which was carried out by Assistant State Pathologist Margaret Bolster, were not released for operational reasons.

The alarm was raised on February 4 when a passer-by spotted a car on fire near the Coillte forest in Doneraile. Ms O’Keeffe was pronounced dead at the scene.

Following his guilty please, Mr Leonard now faces a mandatory life sentence.