Daniel Murtagh has been given the mandatory sentence of life in prison.
A jury has found Daniel Murtagh guilty of murdering his former partner, Nadine Lott, 30, at her home in Wicklow in December, 2019.
The 34-year-old man from Clondalkin has received the mandatory sentence of life in prison.
The judge in the case, Mr Justice Michael McGrath, said that Ms Lott was subject to “terror, evil and brutality”, RTÉ reports.
Ms Lott was seriously injured when her mother found her and attempted to revive her. She was then taken to hospital where she passed away three days later.
Mr Murtagh had submitted a plea, claiming that he was too intoxicated to form the intent to murder Ms Lott. The jury rejected this plea.
Initially, Daniel Murtagh told the guards that he did not remember what happened on that evening.
Justice McGrath commended Nadine’s mum Claire for her bravery.
In her victim impact statement, Claire described life without her daughter as “cruel and empty”, and shared that her family members are living in a “never-ending nightmare”.
“To have to carry on without her every minute of every day is a struggle,” she said.
The statement continued: “The never-ending pain, tangible emptiness, constant flashbacks are now part of an existence for us – Nadine’s adoring family.
“We live in a never-ending nightmare that has no waking up time.
“We are haunted by Nadine’s terror, fear, panic, cries on that night during the prolonged evil attack.”
Claire Lott added that their lives now revolve around “traumatic counselling”, and that they experience sleepless nights and night terrros.
She said: “The horrific evilness has changed all of us, our bubbliness and laughter are gone.”
If you have been affected by any of the details of this article, you can contact Women’s Aid’s 24 hour helpline on 1800 341 900 and the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre on 1800 77 8888.
