Billy Burns convicted of killing his mother in 2022, rejecting insanity defense.

A jury in County Kerry has convicted 55-year-old Billy Burns of murdering his 75-year-old mother, Miriam Burns, in August 2022, rejecting his insanity defense. The court heard conflicting psychiatric opinions on Burns’ mental state, with a pathologist confirming death resulted from manual strangulation and blunt force trauma. The jury, after six hours and eight minutes of deliberation, found Burns guilty, concluding he understood his actions were wrong despite claims of a bipolar disorder episode. Sentencing is pending, with mandatory life imprisonment expected.