Ireland Man found guilty of manslaughter of cellmate at Cloverhill Prison
Michael Connolly (55), originally from Co Louth, was accused of murdering his cellmate Mark Lawlor (37), of Drumcondra in Dublin, in their cell at Cloverhill Prison on November 23rd, 2019. Connolly accepted that he killed Lawlor, and a postmortem found that Lawlor died of asphyxia caused by manual strangulation after being scalded with hot water. At the Central Criminal Court, Connolly pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity, and on August 1st, 2023 a 10-2 majority jury verdict found him not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Convicted1 Aug
- Sentenced
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Connolly scalded Lawlor with hot water before strangling him in their cell.
- Connolly accepted that he killed Lawlor.
- Where
- The killing took place in a cell at Cloverhill Prison.
- Connolly was originally from County Louth, and Lawlor was from Drumcondra in Dublin.
- When
- The killing happened on November 23rd, 2019.
- Cause
- A postmortem found multiple superficial burns consistent with boiling or hot water thrown at Lawlor.
- Lawlor died of asphyxia caused by manual strangulation and straddling of his chest.
- Other details
- Evidence was given that Connolly suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.
- The jury heard that Connolly believed Lawlor had an exalted identity and was a kingpin of Dublin.
- Charges
- Connolly was accused of murdering Lawlor and pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity.
- In court
- The trial was held at the Central Criminal Court, where psychiatrists disagreed on Connolly's state of mind, which was described as the nub of the case.
- The jury found Connolly not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.
- The verdict was a 10-2 majority reached after almost 4½ hours of deliberation.
12 statements extracted from the articles
- whatConnolly scalded his cellmate with hot water before strangling him. (irishtimes.com)
- whatConnolly accepted that he killed Lawlor. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe killing took place at Cloverhill Prison. (irishtimes.com)
- whereConnolly was originally from County Louth. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe killing happened in the cell on November 23rd, 2019. (irishtimes.com)
- causeA postmortem found multiple superficial burns consistent with boiling or hot water thrown at Lawlor. (irishtimes.com)
- causeLawlor died of asphyxia caused by manual strangulation and straddling of the chest. (irishtimes.com)
- courtMichael Connolly was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. (irishtimes.com)
- courtConnolly pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe jury returned a 10-2 majority verdict after almost 4½ hours of deliberation. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe trial was held at the Central Criminal Court. (irishtimes.com)
- otherEvidence was given that Connolly suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 1 Aug2023Man found guilty of cellmate’s manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility
Verdict at the Central Criminal Court in the trial over the 2019 killing of Mark Lawlor in Cloverhill Prison. No matching existing case; the incident predates the existing case list.
convicted, Michael Connolly, 55, male, named, irish (judged from name)Michael Connollyvictim, Mark Lawlor, 37, male, irish (judged from name)Mark Lawlor