Documentary on the Joe O' Reilly case

mariaalice

It's not so much about the documentary but about the issues raised.

He beat to death his wife and the mother of his children.

He appeared to have hated her constantly put her down said she was a dreadful mother ect, also seemed to be quite resentful of his parents-in-law and was having an affair.

What causes the complete lack of insight into himself and the complete lack of empathy and also the belief he would get away with it?

is it a personality disorder? is it evil? ( not a belief in the devil sort of evil ).

Gregor Samsa

You'll get terms like psychopath, sociopath, narcissist thrown around in the replies. Maybe they all have elements of truth to them, but can anyone here really diagnose someone via media reports? It's fine for AA speculation, but that's really as far as it goes, unless there's some actual medical/psychological report available.

As for "evil", what does that even really mean? Back in the day when that was conceived as a reason for actions, it was often assumed to be an external force acting on someone. Which actually, when you think about it, absolves them of responsibility. Now we know that's not actually a thing. So what's left? How does "evil" distinguish itself from any given personality, psychological or psychiatric disorder? It is just what's left when everything else is discounted? I think it's a valid word we use to express an emotion about our revulsion for certain actions, but I don't think it actually means anything in terms of the reasons or motivations behind them.

JimmyVik

I know some people who knew him well and they all thought he was a lovely fella.

You just dont know whats underneath.

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118250491#Comment_118250491

Maybe nobody is going to mention any of those in their replies.

Princess Calla

The fact that he let her mother find her.

Him then re-enacting what "could have" happened to her bereaved parents just absolutely turned my stomach.

Him and his sister coordinating a campaign against Rachel, bringing social services in to their lives claiming that Rachel was an unfit mother etc would also indicate to me that there's something sinister in the O'Reilly "bloodline" for want of a better description....the whole nature/nurture argument.

All because he wanted his mistress and didn't want to be a weekend dad?

A chilling case!

Skyrimaddict

Strange one, and from watching it hindsight is definitely 20/20

Gregor Samsa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118250904#Comment_118250904

Very true, there's always a first time.

Immortal Starlight

Horrible disgusting man who should never see the light of day again.

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118250543#Comment_118250543

I knew his brother. Joe seemed to be much the same as him. always a little bit "different".

thefallingman

I wonder what his kids believe ? I always found it odd that his girlfriend stuck by him aswell

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118251084#Comment_118251084

In another thread a poster said the kids believed he was innocent....I really hope that's not true.

Trigger Happy

There are a few cases over the years that stick in the memory. Joe O'Reilly and Graham Dwyer are two of the ones where the country seemed to jump for joy at their convictions. Pure evil heartless b@starts.

dublin49

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118251220#Comment_118251220

In relation to high profile cases like this one ,David Murphy,and especially Malcolm Mc Arthur ,all appear to serve much longer terms for their crimes than the "7 years" for a murder "we commonly hear as the real sentence for murder in this country.McArthur must have been in for nearly 30 years as was only recently released as far as I know.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118251329#Comment_118251329

The "7 years" was the average in the 1990s. Its now about 20 and going up - we don't release people early anymore.

That's 20 at release, not an average of people inside being pulled up by "capital" (40 year term) cases / McArthur alikes.

freshpopcorn

Well I didn't know Rachel or Joe but I don't know what type of people they were. You always hear so many things about people who are involved in high profile cases.

It can be strange tough when you know somebody who killed somebody or was murdered to say what they were like.

From my understanding that the kids are in there twenties now and they've a good relationship with Joe. I think they went to see him in jail and would probably have being in the care of his mother. In my opinion Joe can never really admit to killing Rachel because if he does he'll be admitting to killing the kids mother.

Joe didn't want to be a weekend dad and he wanted to keep the house, the kids, etc.

He was fairly forensically away, there was no blood found in his car, his clothes, etc no murder weapon and he accounted for all these things.

Driving that rare Fiat estate and the mobile phone mast was his downfall really. He never thought of that.

mariaalice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118251740#Comment_118251740

There seems to be a lot more understanding of murder and motivations for murder now and that might be why sentences are getting longer.

Even bringing it back a bit there are still individuals who blame their partners for their own issues and don't seem to understand that blaming and resentment others is a form of abuse despite all the awareness out there.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118251329#Comment_118251329

Malcolm Mc Arthur should have died in prison.

Atlantic Dawn

I believe it was his drive to keep his kids that made him kill her, if they seperated because of the affair he would have been highly unlikely to have been given sole custody. He likely saw killing her and making it look like a break-in as getting rid of her and also giving him custody of the kids. He probably would have got away with it only for the phone records, looks like he was DNA aware.

cap.in.hand.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118251821#Comment_118251821

I'm sure everyone knows now not to have your phone with you now if your planning anything as it would be pinging all over the country.....even Tina satchwell left her phone at home.

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118251900#Comment_118251900

Yeah he even hugged her dead body to contaminate the site.

BingCrosbee

The night before the trial began I was having a Chinese meal in Mullingar. Joe Reilly, his lover and his parents were at the table net to us. Joes mutton head was facing me, I’ll never forget it.

mariaalice

The difference between what he did and the normal way of sorting whatever issues he had.

He wasn't happy being married to her and they seemed to have gotten married very young people do change as they grow up and end up wanting different things from life. They eventually separate knowing this will have lots of financial and emotional implications and probably a lot of resentment too, some end up civil with each other they move on may end up in another relationship.

I know people who have left their partner for someone else and it's not always a man doing the leaving although that would be the stereotype.

It's the fact that he thought he could murder her and discard her like she was an old rag as a way out of the situation that makes him not right in the head as my mother would have put it.

Pussyhands

The thing that always makes me wonder, and it's similar for other incidents such as Graham Dwyer, is what they were thinking when pushed them over the edge on that day to make them go through with it.

He went to work and then came back and then went back to work.

Why wouldn't he have done it before he went to work and then go to work?

Nikki Pelley isn't as attractive as Rachel was either.

costacorta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118252166#Comment_118252166

I presume he had it planned so he would get away with it !! He thought he would have an alibi and only for cameras at quarry and mobile phone evidence he would have got away with it .

Mongfinder General

Unfortunately for him, he just wasn’t as intelligent as he thought.

In his mind, doing 15 years in jail was probably worth the risk and it would also deprive his wife of raising her two kids. He’s doing a fair stretch now past 15 years.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118251928#Comment_118251928

look what them ejits did with their phones before they robbed the credit union in Louth. Aaron brady and his mates.

cap.in.hand.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118252426#Comment_118252426

There's always exceptions in these cases.....

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118252166#Comment_118252166

Didn't Rachel challenge him over his affair?

I'd say that's what's pushed him there, couldn't face being a weekend dad her getting the house etc. Probably worried about not appearing perfect too, if it got out he was an adulterer.

The case did hinge on the CCTV, his car being rare enough and the phone pings. His alibi didn't check out. Then his mistress repeating a conversation to her friend....thank God her friend came forward with that.

the 12 th man

He's watching with keen interest to see if that other poxbottle Dwyer's appeal is successful and he gets off on the rebuffing of the phone mast evidence which O'Reilly will copycat.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118252426#Comment_118252426

They thought turning their phones off was the answer but that counted against them too. Seems you can't win having a mobile nowadays.

As for Joe, i thought is was pretty sickening sending her parents to find her and then inviting them over and re-enacting the murder while they watched as soon as he got the keys back. He clearly hated them as much as he did Rachael.

I didn't know the kids went to stay with his mother afterwards, no wonder they think he's innocent, clearly been prejudiced in their upbringing. Seem to be quite a sinister family. I imagine Pelley has been a part of their lives too.

pgj2015

Its mad how his family don't care that he carried out such a horrific murder. There is no way they think he is innocent. Any normal person would disown him.