Elderly woman thought accused was suicidal

An elderly woman who called to the house of a 30-year-old Waterford woman shortly after she had strangled and suffocated her eight-year-old son said she thought the mother of three was going to "do away with herself".

Mrs Maria Ramshaw was continuing her cross-examination at the Central Criminal Court in the trial of Ms Jacqueline Costello, formerly of Woodlawn Grove, Waterford.

Ms Costello denies the murder of her eldest son, Robert Costello, at Mullinavat on 28 October 2000.

Mrs Ramshaw and her husband John who are Jehovah’s Witnesses had a prior arrangement to visit the accused on the day of the tragic events.

She told Mr Patrick McCarthy SC for the defence that Ms Costello was in her back garden "shouting and blaspheming".

"She was really very, very upset and was waving her arms around," she told the court.

She agreed with counsel that the accused seemed "very disturbed" and looked "wild and random".

After the couple came across the young boy lying on his back in the living room her husband went to a neighbour’s house to phone for an ambulance.

Mrs Ramshaw continued: "She (Ms Costello) went back out to the garden, she was in and out and I wondered was she trying to get into the garage to do away with herself."

Mrs Ramshaw tried without success to resuscitate the boy who had a "congealed froth" coming out of his mouth.

John Ramshaw gave evidence that he got the impression that it was "a normal family" during the couple’s first visit to the house a week before the death of Robert. However, he said that Ms Costello was "very emotionally volatile" and "emotionally in turmoil".

The court has already heard that Ms Costello told the Gardai that she was trying to make Robert take sleeping tablets and had strangled him when he refused to. "I killed him," the accused told gardai.

"I just wanted him to take the sleeping tablets, he said ‘ no way’, so I caught him by the throat and killed him".

Ms Miriam Reynolds SC for the prosecution told the jury yesterday that they must decide if Jacqueline Costello is guilty of the murder of her son Robert or is she was insane at the time of the killing.

The trial continues today before Mr Justice Paul Butler and a jury.