A PARK RANGER who claimed he was insane when he beat, stabbed and strangled his wife to death has been found guilty of her murder by a unanimous jury decision.

The eight women and four men at the Central Criminal Court took about two hours to reject James Kilroy’s defence that he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity due to a cannabis-induced psychosis or a form of acute and transient psychotic disorder.

Members of victim Valerie French Kilroy’s family, who have attended every day of three trials, cried and thanked the jury when the verdict was revealed.

The two previous trials collapsed due to unforeseen difficulties that arose during the course of the evidence.

Kilroy will be sentenced to the mandatory term of life imprisonment next Monday when members of Valerie French Kilroy’s family will be invited to address the court.

Before she was murdered, Valerie French Kilroy had been enjoying a night out with friends.

When she arrived home, James Kilroy set upon her with a knife and beat and strangled her. There was evidence that he used a ligature and that she struggled during the unprovoked attack.

Kilroy was found some hours later wandering naked in a nearby field. He told gardaí and psychiatrists of various delusional beliefs including that his wife was working with Donald Trump’s bodyguards to capture, torture and kill him.

There was also evidence that Kilroy was a regular user of cannabis and had a previous psychotic episode related to drug use in 2001.

Kilroy (51) murdered his wife at their home in Kilbree Lower, Westport, Co Mayo, between 13 June and 14 June 2019.