The mother of Brooklyn Colbert, who was murdered by his uncle in Limerick in 2019, told an inquest into the 11-year-old’s death that she believed his killer was obsessed with him, reports RTE.
The inquest revealed the boy was found dead on the floor of a house in Shanabole Road, Ballinty, on Sunday evening 3 November 2019.
Patrick Dillon, of Delmage Park in Moyros, is serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to murder in January 2021 in Brooklyn’s Central Criminal Court.
Sonia Elmer said she thought Dillon wanted to kill Brooklyn so they could go to heaven together, reports RTE,
After the hearing, Ms. Elmer said the investigation offered closure and she wanted to give a special thank you to the people of Limerick and the rest of the country for always remembering Brooklyn and never letting it be forgotten.
Medical evidence presented at the hearing showed he had suffered 27 blows to his body after being struck with a hammer, as well as multiple head wounds.
In her evidence for the investigation, state pathologist Dr. Margaret Bolster that he suffered bleeding and shock as a result of multiple knife wounds, which he did not survive, and that he died very quickly, reports RTE,
Inspector James Ruddle, who was the first security guard in the house that night, said when he and a team of Gardai arrived they found Brooklyn dead on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood.
They arrived at the house after Dillon first presented himself at Henry Street Garda station with a bruised arm and admitted to killing his nephew with a knife, reports RTE.
The inquest revealed Brooklyn and Dillon had been seen earlier that evening walking home laughing and looking very happy. They wanted to go to the cinema that evening.
Coroner John McNamara described it as a very disturbing and tragic case in which an 11-year-old boy died in the most painful and difficult of circumstances.
He entered a wrongful death verdict, saying the cause of death was consistent with medical evidence, reports RTE.
The jury agreed with their verdict.
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