US Man Pleads Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity in Father’s Hotel Murder
A US national has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the murder of his father at a luxury hotel in County Laois, Ireland. Henry McGowan, 31, is accused of killing his father, John McGowan, 66, at Ballyfin Demesne on November 12th, 2024.
The Central Criminal Court heard that Henry McGowan described “in detail” how he strangled his father with his bare hands, telling him he would “always love him as he had his last breath,” just over an hour after arriving at the five-star resort. Counsel for the accused stated that McGowan told detectives he had strangled his father in a bathroom.
According to opening statements, the prosecution barrister revealed that despite being alerted by the UK’s Metropolitan Police about McGowan’s travel to Ireland and concerns for his welfare, Irish police, or gardaí, were unable to locate him at Dublin Airport upon his arrival.
The court was told that McGowan was laboring under the delusion that the man he was killing was not his father, but an “imposter.” Both prosecution and defense psychiatrists reportedly agree that McGowan was experiencing a relapse of schizoaffective disorder at the time of the killing.
McGowan, with an address at Clinton Street, Brooklyn, New York, arrived at Dublin Airport from London shortly before 11pm on November 11th, 2024. Gardaí had been notified of his travel and potential welfare concerns but were unable to find him at the airport. He later presented himself at the Mater hospital’s emergency department at 8:30am on November 12th, seeking assistance with mental health challenges.
Meanwhile, John McGowan was en route from the United States, having been contacted by his son in Paris in the days leading up to the incident. Counsel stated there had been an “exchange” between the two men that caused concern for Henry’s wellbeing.
Diarmaid Lawlor, a detective inspector, testified that John McGowan was a successful businessman who worked on the New York Stock Exchange, while his son Henry graduated from the University of Virginia and worked for a technology firm. McGowan was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2022 and has no prior criminal record.
At the hospital, Henry McGowan told medical staff he was experiencing mental health difficulties and claimed he was “talking to God who was telling him what to do.” He was reportedly on and off his antipsychotic medication. John McGowan told doctors his son had been hypomanic for six months and had traveled to Ireland out of concern for Henry’s mental state.
The elder McGowan arrived at Dublin Airport from New York around midday on November 12th and went to the hospital to see his son. Both men left the hospital at 3:40pm after a prescription was issued for Henry’s mental health. They then took a taxi to Ballyfin Demesne.
Hotel staff described Henry McGowan as “perfectly normal and engaging” upon arrival. He was shown to the pool area and given swimming togs. Shortly after, a staff member observed him walking along the poolside naked and alerted the manager.
Around the same time, John McGowan was seen on CCTV speaking to his son near the swimming pool. The two men then entered a cubicle area, remaining there for several minutes. Henry McGowan emerged naked and jumped into the pool, later wrapping a towel around himself and leaving the area.
The hotel manager discovered John McGowan lying on the ground in the dressing area, his body covered with a robe and surrounded by a pool of blood. Staff performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
Gardaí arrived at the hotel around 8:15pm and found Henry McGowan sitting in the library, looking at the fire, dressed in his father’s clothes. When questioned, he told officers he had hurt his father, stating, “I killed who I thought was not my father downstairs, I hit his head against the wall and strangled him.”
A post-mortem examination determined the cause of death to be asphyxia due to manual strangulation and compression of the mouth. During subsequent interviews with gardaí, McGowan stated he had been diagnosed with a bipolar condition at age 27. He reportedly told detectives he strangled his father and told him he would “always love him as he had his last breath.”
McGowan also told gardaí he felt he needed to “take his life back” from his father, and that his father’s anger – specifically, being told to take his medication while naked – made him “super angry” before he killed him.
The trial continues before Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of six men and six women.
