JONATHAN BYRNE SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR MURDER IN DUBLIN

In December 2011, Jonathan Byrne, who was responsible for the murder of 12-year-old Michaela in August 2010, was sentenced to life imprisonment and is now held in Portlaoise Prison as of 2012.

The Dublin Central Criminal Court heard how Byrne showed no emotion as he was sentenced for the heinous crime. The court was told that the 19-year-old murdered Michaela, who was a student at Luttrellstown Community College, in a field near her home in Porterstown, West Dublin, before discarding her body beside the Royal Canal.

Michaela's parents, Brendan and Deirdre, along with her brother Brendan, expressed their grief, describing the day their family’s life changed forever. In a victim impact statement read out in court, they said, "Our lives will never be the same again. We pray that no other family will have to endure the same pain and suffering. Michaela can never be replaced, and only in the future will the full impact of her loss be understood."

Relatives were visibly emotional as prosecutor Dominic McGinn revealed the graphic details of the sexual assault Michaela endured. Justice Paul Carney ordered Byrne to be registered as a sex offender for life.

Byrne, who lived in Lohunda Downs, Clonsilla, pleaded guilty earlier that month to murder and two counts of rape. He received a mandatory life sentence for the murder, along with a concurrent 15-year sentence for the rape charges.

The court was informed that Michaela’s parents had advised her to break up with Byrne, whom they believed was 14 and had been giving their daughter alcohol. Michaela had been out with friends on the evening of August 28, returning home around 11pm, and asking her mother for permission to go out again for 30 minutes. She came back at approximately 11:30pm and requested another 15 minutes before leaving again. She was reported missing shortly after 2am on August 29.

Detectives interviewed Byrne at his parents’ home overnight. He claimed he last saw Michaela at 11pm and stated he had attempted to break up with her when he learned she was only 12.

The next day, a man walking his dog found Michaela’s remains, prompting Byrne to tell his father that he had argued with and hit her. Byrne then voluntarily went to a Garda station, where he admitted to raping Michaela, strangling her, and later carrying her body through a field before dumping it.

Mr. McGinn explained that Byrne was questioned about injuries on Michaela’s head, to which he responded that he had dropped her several times while carrying her toward the canal.

In a written statement read aloud outside court, Michaela’s family expressed their ongoing grief and hope for justice, stating, "Michaela, as of today, will receive the justice she so deserves for the pain and suffering that she endured during the last few moments of her young life. The pain of losing our Michaela will never go away, nor will the love that she left behind. Justice will be done, and lives will have to be rebuilt, including the Byrne family. Always remember Michaela in your hearts, and may she now rest in peace."

Defense lawyer Patrick Gageby explained that Byrne’s guilty plea was motivated by a desire to spare the Davis family and himself from a trial, emphasizing, "He has a profound sense of guilt."