O'Reilly murder probe was led by Meath superintendent

THE investigation into the murder of Rachel O'Reilly, which led to the conviction of her husband, Joe O'Reilly, extended well into County Meath at one time, Supt Michael Finnegan, former head of the Louth/Meath Garda Division, who led the murder hunt, said yesterday (Tuesday).

Supt Finnegan, now Meath Road Safety Officer, retired as Louth/Meath chief in April 2006.

He had headed the painstaking investigation into the O'Reilly killing since the discovery of the woman's body at her home at Baldarragh, The Naul, near Balbriggan  in north Co Dublin, on 10th October 2004.  When he stepped down, his position was taken by Supt Pat McGee, LouthMeath Division chief.

Every premises from Baldarragh into Dublin, Bluebell Estate, Broadstone and into County Meath and Drogheda was visited as part of the investigation, stated Superintendent Finnegan. Gardai from the Louth/Meath Division, Balbriggan District and the National Bureau of Investigation took part in the huge search .

Hundreds of CTV tapes were taken possession of from the business premises visited and closely examined for information over many weeks.

In the initial weeks, said Supt Finnegan, he was working with Supt Tom Gallagher, Balbriggan, who retired and was succeeded by Supt Joe Kelly. For the first five or six weeks after the killing, over 60 members of the force took part in the investigation, tailing down to 20 or 30. This number continued non-stop over an 18-month period.

Within just a couple of weeks of the murder, suspicions had turned to the victim's husband, Joe O'Reilly.  "His alibi was not standing up," said Supt Finnegan.

It had emerged that his mobile phone was in the general area of his home at the crucial time. "That was established as the signal came off the mast at Murphy's Quarry at The Naul and their home was less than half a mile north of that," he said.

This finding completely contradicted the alibi given by the victim's husband who continued to maintain that he was at work at the Broadstone garage at the time.  "Experts confirmed that was impossible," said Superintendent Finnegan.  The investigation team had to employ the services of a Swedish firm and this part of the operation was time-consuming.

A house-to-house search over an area within several miles of the Baldarragh bungalow to which the O'Reillys had moved with their two young sons, Luke, now 7, and Adam, now 5, had also been conducted. "We talked to every person within several miles of the scene," said Supt Finnegan. No piece of information which might help to establish the murderer's identity could be overlooked. 

The initial suspicion that Rachel O'Reilly had been killed by a burglar was eliminated. "We tracked down dozens of known burglars and established their whereabouts that day," said the Superintendent. This search extended over the Leinster area. "All these suspects were eliminated," he said.  He said Gardai were never convinced, after a couple of days, that it had been a burglary.

The CCTV footage of Joe O'Reilly early on the day of the murder was consistent with his story. It was also confirmed that he was back at his office, Viacom Outdoor Advertising, Bluebell Industrial Estate, around 12.50pm that day.

The investigation succeeded in identifying a car which had  travelled from Dublin to the O'Reilly home at Baldarragh and had returned some time later, a factor which strengthened their case.  They investigated many cars of the type he drove, a Fiat Marea.  While they could not prove conclusively that the car seen was Joe O'Reilly's, they were satisfied it was his, said Supt Finnegan.

He said the team decided at an early stage to get every possible piece of evidence together before approaching the DPP with regard to a murder charge against Joe O'Reilly.  The technological material, which proved so crucial, was collected within a month or two of the murder.  Back in early 2006, said Supt Finnegan, they were "confident" that they had a "very strong circumstantial case" against him.

He had given an alibi which did not stand up to scrutiny; right up to the end, he insisted he was in Broadstone.

Supt Finnegan stated that he was pleased that this investigation, which depended on technical evidence, stood up to intense scrutiny , leading to the jury's guilty verdict on Saturday, 21st July. He was particularly pleased, he said, for all the members involved and for the Callaly family.

As regards the dead woman, Supt Finnegan said it had "emerged loud and clear that Rachel O'Reilly was a very popular and well-liked lady." He added that "no one had a bad word to say about her; she lived for softball and her two children."