Valerie French was murdered by her husband, James Kilroy, who was sentenced to life in prison after a jury rejected his insanity defense.

Valerie French's brother, David French, told the Central Criminal Court that his sister, mother of three, was "savagely slaughtered" and died in terror at the hands of her husband, James Kilroy. Kilroy was sentenced to life in prison for her murder, showing no remorse and trying to avoid accountability. David French expressed that the family is traumatized that Valerie's killer is a man they welcomed into their homes. The court heard that Kilroy pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but a jury rejected his defence.