Wednesday 28 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 3372Murder · Co. Mayo · 29 Jul 2013

Sanjeev Chada applies for parole after 12 years for murdering his two sons in Ballintubber, Co Mayo

Sanjeev Chada, who received two mandatory life sentences in 2014 for the 2013 murders of his sons Eoghan (10) and Ruairí (5) in Ballintubber, Co Mayo, has applied for parole after serving 12 years. His ex-wife Kathleen Chada gave an interview describing the phone call in which he told her 'they are dead in the back' and her fear he will be released to 'finish the job'.

  1. Reported
  2. Arrested
  3. Charged
  4. In court
  5. Verdict
  6. Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
12 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatEoghan was 10 years old and Ruairí was 5 years old at the time of their deaths. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatSanjeev strangled the boys, placed their bodies in the boot, and deliberately crashed into a wall. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatKathleen was giving a statement to a detective when the phone call came. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereThe murders occurred in an isolated lane in Ballintubber, County Mayo. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereSanjeev was a stay-at-home dad residing in County Carlow. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereSanjeev now lives in Dublin's Arbour Hill Prison. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whenThe murders took place on 29 July 2013. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whenThe murders occurred 10 days after the embezzlement was revealed. (irishmirror.ie)
  • causeSanjeev had embezzled €56,000 from a local community group to fund his stock market dabbling. (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceSanjeev Chada was handed two mandatory life sentences in 2014 after pleading guilty to murdering his sons. (irishmirror.ie)
  • otherHe has applied for parole after serving 12 years. (irishmirror.ie)
  • otherKathleen wrote a memoir called Everything. (irishmirror.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 13 Apr2026
    Otheririshmirror.ie, follow-up
    'My husband called after killing our sons – his words are imprinted on my mind'

    Kathleen Chada's Virgin Media News interview detailing the phone call, the embezzlement that preceded the murders, a pre-murder email expressing his desire to kill his family, and her fears about his parole application after 12 years.

    victim, 10, male, irish (judged from name)victim, Ruairí Chada, 5, male, irish (judged from name)Ruairí Chadaconvicted, Sanjeev Chada, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Sanjeev Chadavictim, Kathleen Chada, female, irish (judged from name)Kathleen Chada