Ireland Case No. 6435Murder · Co. Cork · 4 Feb 2021
Man jailed for Cork murder dies in prison
Michael Leonard, 63, of Kilmallock, Co Limerick, pleaded guilty to the murder of 72-year-old Mary O'Keeffe, of Mallow, Co Cork, after setting fire to a car she was sitting in at a woodland in Doneraile, Co Cork, on 4 February 2021. He was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court in December 2022, though some reports date the sentencing to December 2023. The post-mortem found O'Keeffe was still alive when the fire started, with the cause of death being extreme third-degree burns and carbon monoxide inhalation. Leonard died in the custody of the Irish Prison Service at Cork Prison on 27 February 2024 after a battle with cancer.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced14 Dec
5 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Leonard poured two gallons of petrol into a car and set it on fire while O'Keeffe was inside.
- Where
- The murder took place at a woodland in Doneraile, Co Cork.
- When
- The murder took place on 4 February 2021.
- Cause
- The post-mortem concluded the cause of death was extreme third-degree burns associated with inhalation of carbon monoxide, and O'Keeffe was still alive when the fire started.
- Investigation
- CCTV showed Leonard near O'Keeffe's home on 45 occasions between Christmas 2020 and February 2021.
- Charges
- Leonard pleaded guilty to the murder of Mary O'Keeffe.
- In court
- The sentencing was imposed by Mr Justice Paul McDermott at the Central Criminal Court.
- Sentence
- Leonard was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2022, though some reports date the sentencing to December 2023.
- Other details
- Leonard died in the custody of the Irish Prison Service at Cork Prison on 27 February 2024 after a battle with cancer.
- Leonard was found in the River Awbeg 2.5 km from the scene with his hands tied to a tree with shoelaces.
- O'Keeffe was a widowed mother of three with 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
- Leonard had no previous convictions and was retired from Coillte at the time of the murder.
77 statements extracted from the articles
- whatMichael Leonard is 64 years old (rte.ie)
- whatMary O'Keeffe was 72 years old (rte.ie)
- whatLeonard became increasingly obsessed with O'Keeffe after she ended their relationship in late 2019 (rte.ie)
- whatO'Keeffe was a widowed mother of three with 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren (rte.ie)
- whatThe car was engulfed in a fire that burned for an hour (rte.ie)
- whatLeonard was found in a local river with his hands tied to a tree with shoelaces (rte.ie)
- whatLeonard admitted pouring two gallons of petrol into the car and setting it alight (rte.ie)
- whatLeonard said he had not hurt O'Keeffe before setting fire but did not help her get out (rte.ie)
- whatLeonard threw two gallons of petrol into the car and set it on fire (limerickleader.ie)
- whatBy 2.23pm Leonard had poured two gallons of petrol from a bucket into the car and onto O'Keeffe and set the car on fire (limerickleader.ie)
- whatLeonard poured two gallons of petrol into the car and set it on fire while O'Keeffe was inside. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe man was convicted of murdering a woman. (extra.ie)
- whatMichael Leonard died after a battle with cancer at Mercy University Hospital in Cork. (corkbeo.ie)
- whatMichael Leonard died while in the custody of the Irish Prison Service on Tuesday, February 27. (limerickleader.ie)
- whatHe was 63 years old and pleaded guilty to the murder of Mary O'Keeffe in Doneraile, Cork. (limerickleader.ie)
- whereMichael Leonard is from Kilmallock, County Limerick (rte.ie)
- whereThe murder took place in Doneraile, County Cork (rte.ie)
- whereThe murder took place at a woodland at Doneraile, County Cork (limerickleader.ie)
- whereMichael Leonard is from Hillcrest, Glenosheen, Kilmallock, Co Limerick. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereGardaí found Leonard 2.5 kilometres away in the River Awbeg, about 12 metres from the bank. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereMary O'Keeffe was killed at a woodland in Doneraile, Co Cork. (corkbeo.ie)
- whereHe was serving a life sentence in Cork Prison. (limerickleader.ie)
- whenThe murder took place in February 2021 (rte.ie)
- whenO'Keeffe first met Leonard at a dance in 2016 (rte.ie)
- whenO'Keeffe told Leonard she wanted to end their relationship in Autumn 2019 (rte.ie)
- whenLeonard arranged to meet O'Keeffe at Drumdeer Woods in Doneraile on the afternoon of 4 February 2021 (rte.ie)
- whenO'Keeffe arrived at the meeting point at 2.19pm (limerickleader.ie)
- whenO'Keeffe arrived at the meeting point at 2.19pm and by 2.23pm Leonard had poured petrol and set the car on fire. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenLeonard's former wife arrived at the scene at about 3.22pm. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenLeonard died ten weeks after he was jailed for life for the murder of Mary O'Keeffe. (corkbeo.ie)
- causeThe post-mortem showed O'Keeffe was still alive when the fire started (limerickleader.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- causeThe post-mortem concluded the cause of death was extreme third degree burns associated with inhalation of carbon monoxide. (irishmirror.ie)
- causeThe murder occurred in a car blaze. (extra.ie)
- causeLeonard threw petrol into the car and set it on fire. (corkbeo.ie)
- causeHe died due to a lengthy battle with cancer. (limerickleader.ie)
- investigationCCTV showed Leonard near O'Keeffe's home on 45 occasions between Christmas 2020 and February 2021 (rte.ie)
- investigationThe Irish Prison Service confirmed a death in custody at Cork Prison on 27 February 2024. (corkbeo.ie)
- investigationAll deaths in custody are investigated by the Irish Prison Service, the Inspector of Prisons and An Garda Síochána, where circumstances warrant. (corkbeo.ie, limerickleader.ie)
- chargeLeonard pleaded guilty to murdering Mary O'Keeffe (rte.ie)
- courtThe sentence was imposed by Mr Justice Paul McDermott (rte.ie)
- courtDetective Sergeant James O'Shea gave evidence to the court (rte.ie)
- courtJudge Paul McDermott described it as the most horrific attack carried out by fire (limerickleader.ie)
- courtThe sentencing took place at the Central Criminal Court. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtMr Justice Paul McDermott passed sentence. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe judge described the killing as the most horrific attack carried out by fire that led to the woman's death. (corkbeo.ie)
- courtThe Irish Prison Service confirmed the death of a prisoner in the custody of Cork Prison on February 27, 2024. (limerickleader.ie)
- sentenceLeonard was sentenced to life in prison (rte.ie)
- sentenceLeonard was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder (limerickleader.ie)
- sentenceLeonard was sentenced to life imprisonment. (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceThe man was given a life sentence. (extra.ie)
- sentenceLeonard was sentenced to life imprisonment on December 14 after pleading guilty to the murder. (corkbeo.ie)
- sentenceHe was sentenced to life in prison in December 2023. (limerickleader.ie)
- otherO'Keeffe's family applauded the sentence (rte.ie)
- otherO'Keeffe lived in Mallow, Cork, and was a widow at the time of her death (limerickleader.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- otherO'Keeffe had three sons, eleven grandchildren and three great grandchildren (limerickleader.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- otherO'Keeffe was in excellent health and worked as a cook starting at 6am most days (limerickleader.ie)
- otherLeonard had no previous convictions (limerickleader.ie, corkbeo.ie)
- otherLeonard worked for Coillte but was retired at the time of the murder (limerickleader.ie)
- otherO'Keeffe and Leonard met in 2016 through regular attendance at dances (limerickleader.ie)
- otherIn 2019 O'Keeffe made it clear she no longer wished to continue seeing Leonard (limerickleader.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- otherCommunications discovered during the investigation suggested Leonard was emotionally manipulative (limerickleader.ie)
- otherCCTV showed Leonard visited the area around O'Keeffe's home 45 times from Christmas 2020 to February 2021 (limerickleader.ie)
- otherIn the 13 days before her death Leonard was near her home 12 times (limerickleader.ie)
- otherA witness told gardai Leonard was smothering O'Keeffe (limerickleader.ie)
- otherLeonard went to the village where that man lived and stayed in a hotel on his own (limerickleader.ie)
- otherLeonard suffered burn marks to his own face (limerickleader.ie)
- otherLeonard had no previous convictions and was retired from Coillte at the time of the murder. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherLeonard and O'Keeffe met in 2016 through regular attendance at dances and formed a relationship. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherGarda communications suggested Leonard was emotionally manipulative in keeping O'Keeffe in contact with him. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherCCTV showed Leonard visited the area around O'Keeffe's home 45 times from Christmas 2020 to her death. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherIn the 13 days before her death Leonard was near her home 12 times while telling her by phone he was elsewhere. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherLeonard suffered burn marks to his own face and left the area on foot. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherLeonard told his former wife: 'You won't find me, I'm far away, I can't live with what happened.' (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe man was described as emotionally manipulative. (extra.ie)
- otherA postmortem showed that Mary O'Keeffe was still alive when the fire started. (corkbeo.ie)
- otherMary O'Keeffe lived in Mallow, Co Cork. (corkbeo.ie)
- otherThe next of kin have been notified. (limerickleader.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 29 Feb2024Irish murderer serving life sentence dies in prison
Confirms Leonard's death in Cork Prison on 27 February 2024, reports he died after a lengthy battle with cancer, and includes the Irish Prison Service statement on the death in custody and the investigation process.
victim, Mary O'Keeffe, female, irish (judged from name)Mary O'Keeffeconvicted, Michael Leonard, 63, male, named, irish (judged from name)Michael Leonard - 28 Feb2024Murderer of Cork woman dies in prison weeks after being sentenced to life
Reports the death of Michael Leonard, aged 63, from cancer at Mercy University Hospital on Tuesday, ten weeks after his life sentence for the murder of Mary O'Keeffe. The Irish Prison Service confirmed a death in custody at Cork Prison on 27 February 2024.
convicted, Michael Leonard, 63, male, named, irish (judged from name)Michael Leonardvictim, Mary O'Keeffe, 72, female, irish (judged from name)Mary O'Keeffe - 14 Dec2022'Emotionally manipulative' Man Given Life Sentence For Murdering Woman In Car Blaze
The article reports the sentencing of a man to life imprisonment for murder in a car blaze; the full article text is not available, only the headline provides details.
convicted, malevictim, female - 14 Dec2022'Emotionally manipulative' man gets life for murdering woman in car blaze
Reports the full sentencing hearing: Judge Paul McDermott's description of the attack, the victim impact statement from granddaughter Nicky O'Keeffe, Detective Sgt James O'Shea's evidence on Leonard's obsession and 45 visits to the area, the post-mortem findings, Leonard's admissions in his fourth interview, and his rescue from the River Awbeg before arrest the following day.
victim, Mary O'Keeffe, 72, female, irish (judged from name)Mary O'Keeffeconvicted, Michael Leonard, 63, male, named, irish (judged from name)Michael Leonard - 14 Dec2022'Emotionally manipulative' Limerick man jailed for murdering woman he was obsessed with
Provides full sentencing details including Judge Paul McDermott's remarks, victim impact statement from granddaughter Nicky O'Keeffe, and a detailed account of the murder and investigation from Detective Sergeant James O'Shea, including CCTV evidence of Leonard's obsessive behaviour and the post-mortem findings.
victim, Mary O'Keeffe, 72, female, irish (judged from name)Mary O'Keeffeconvicted, Michael Leonard, 63, male, named, irish (judged from name)Michael Leonard - 14 Dec2022'Manipulative' man given life sentence for murder
Reports the sentencing hearing at which Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed the mandatory life sentence. Includes details of Leonard's obsession with O'Keeffe, CCTV evidence of him near her home on 45 occasions, his account of pouring petrol and setting the car alight, and a victim impact statement from Nikki O'Keeffe.
victim, Mary O'Keeffe, 72, female, irish (judged from name)Mary O'Keeffeconvicted, Michael Leonard, 64, male, named, irish (judged from name)Michael Leonard