Man accused of pensioner's murder claimed 'five other murders', trial told
Trevor Rowe has pleaded not guilty to murdering 71-year-old Ann Butler at her home in Kilkenny. Photo: Dylan Vaughan
A man accused of murdering a 71-year-old pensioner in her home told a detective that he had committed "five other murders", was working for the Kinahan Cartel and received €5,500 "for doing a murder", his trial has heard.
When gardaí called to the defendant's home, the 29-year-old fell to his knees, cried uncontrollably and said: "I killed a woman. I murdered a woman. I slit her throat and stuck a knife in her head".
Trevor Rowe (29), with an address at Abbey Street, Kilkenny has pleaded not guilty to murdering 71-year-old Ann Butler at her home at Maudlin Street, Kilkenny on March 20, 2020.
Giving evidence today, Detective Garda Martin Power of Kilkenny Garda Station told John O'Kelly SC, prosecuting, that he was on duty at 6.40pm on March 25 when he went to assist his colleagues on Cathedral Street, who were investigating the source of several anonymous phone calls made to the 999 emergency services call centre in Waterford.
The detective said he was aware that the caller had indicated that he had murdered a woman, that her body was at the rear of Langtons Hotel and if this was not taken seriously then he would commit another murder.
When he called to the accused's house, Det. Gda Power said the door was opened and he could hear an incoherent voice, which he believed was Mr Rowe's, coming from upstairs in the property.
The detective walked upstairs into an open plan living room and met Mr Rowe, who was standing in front of the couch and appeared to be rummaging with both hands behind his back.
Det. Gda Power said the accused recognised him. "I asked him what he was doing with his hands and he pulled out two screwdrivers, one in each hand. I asked him to leave the screwdrivers down and he complied with my request and left them aside," he said.
The witness said he then asked the accused what knowledge he had of the 999 phone calls. "He walked around the back of the couch and fell to his knees crying uncontrollably," he said.
The detective testified that the accused then said to him:
Det. Gda Power explained to Mr Rowe that gardaí had conducted a search of Maudlin Street and nobody had been located. "He said it was the second house behind Langtons," said the detective.
The witness asked Mr Rowe if he would show him where the body was on Maudlin Street and the accused agreed to take him there. "He was clearly under the influence of intoxicants and I observed bottles of Budweiser in his flat," he added.
Det. Gda Power said the accused then claimed to have committed five other murders, was working for the "Kinahans" and got paid €5,500 "for doing a murder".
"I know Trevor Rowe over 20 years and I didn't believe him when he proclaimed he had murdered anyone," said the detective.
Mr Rowe was placed in an unmarked patrol car and requested gardaí to stop the vehicle when they arrived at Maudlin Street, just a short distance away from Langton's car park.
Det. Gda Power said he walked further up Maudlin Street with the accused and, at that point, Mr Rowe fell to the ground, broke down crying and indicated the area to him.
"I knocked on a door and spoke to a male who answered the door and he said he was fine. I asked who was in the house next door with the red door. I then knocked on it and got no reply," he said.
The detective said he opened the door because it was unlocked and as he did "a gush of heat" hit him along with a smell of what he believed to be a decaying body. "It was so strong I had to cover my nose and mouth with my hand and immediately closed the door," he said.
The witness asked his colleague to check if there was a body in the house and he confirmed that there was a female body in a room and that the circumstances of her death appeared suspicious.
"Mr Rowe was at the top of the steps and on the ground crying uncontrollably, asking that he not be brought into the house as he did not want to see the body," said the officer.
Mr Rowe was arrested at 7.38pm that evening on suspicion of the murder of Ms Butler and conveyed to Kilkenny Garda Station.
The witness said the accused was clearly upset in the patrol car and at times resorted to hitting the seat in front saying "what have I done, I just wanted her to be found". The accused said he had slit the woman's throat and put a knife in her head.
"He also said he murdered another woman, cut her head off and threw it over John's Bridge and left her body at the back of the river," said the detective.
Under cross-examination, Det. Gda Power told defence counsel Kathleen Leader SC that he knew Mr Rowe for the last 20 years and was on first-name terms with him. He agreed that the accused came from a troubled and disadvantaged background and whilst his mother did the best to look after him, she had her own problems.
He also said that Mr Rowe's circumstances would have been difficult when he was young and authorities had been involved in his care from a very early age.
Det. Gda Power said he was aware of Mr Rowe's drug and alcohol dependency. The witness agreed that the accused was respectful towards him, a conscientious person and was "a pleasure to deal with" in the garda station.
In those circumstances at the time, Det. Gda Power agreed he did not believe that Mr Rowe was capable of killing someone. "I wouldn't have known him to be a person of violence," he said, further agreeing that it was only when he knew someone was dead in the house did he proceed on the basis that Mr Rowe had killed them.
Gardaí who called to a murder accused's home found him hysterically shouting that he had "slit her throat, buried a knife in her head" and that this was his "fifth one", his trial has heard.
Giving evidence earlier on Wednesday, Garda Kevin Seymour told John O'Kelly SC, prosecuting, that he was in a patrol car when he got a call from the control centre on March 25 at 5.25pm. He was told that a man claiming to be God had said he murdered someone last Friday and that her body was in the second house at the back of Langtons Hotel.
Gda Seymour said because gardaí had such little information they had conducted welfare checks on Maudlin Street and nobody had any concerns for their neighbours.
The witness said he got another call from the control centre stating they had received a call from a phone belonging to a Mr Noel Pierce and the dispatcher was informed that if gardaí did not take the call seriously then there would be another murder that night.
Mr Pierce has testified that he was living at Cathedral Square in Kilkenny on March 25, 2020, when Mr Rowe called to his house after 5.45pm without any notice. The witness said that Mr Rowe went into the toilet and used his phone.
Gda Seymour said he went to Mr Pierce's house and gardaí asked him for his mobile number, which matched one of the numbers that had rung the control centre. Mr Pierce's phone was then seized.
The witness said he then went to the house of Mr Rowe's mother and afterwards to the accused's address at Abbey Street.
Gda Seymour said he knocked on the door, which was ajar, and a man in the downstairs apartment told them that he shared accommodation with "some Rowe fella" upstairs.
The witness could hear shouting and banging coming from upstairs and said his colleague Garda Bernard Power entered the premises before coming out with Mr Rowe.
The garda said Mr Rowe was quite hysterical, seemed to be intoxicated, had his head bowed and was shouting:
Gda Seymour said Mr Rowe was brought to Maudlin Street and began to point towards a corner house, which they had checked prior to meeting Mr Rowe that day. The witness said the accused was saying "No, no, no" at the time.
"He kept pointing at the house and broke down on the ground. We went to the house and upon opening the door a strong odour came from it," he said.
Gda Seymour said the lights were on in the hallway and in the first bedroom but not in the living room. There were blood-stains along the wall in the hall.
The witness said one of his colleagues entered the living room and stated that there was a body lying on the couch.
Under cross-examination, defence counsel Kathleen Leader SC asked the witness to explain what he meant about her client "breaking down". "He just went down on his knees and started roaring uncontrollably. He wasn't roaring anything in particular, just crying very hysterically," said Gda Seymour.
Garda Daniel Keane told Mr O'Kelly that he was driving another patrol car on March 25 and was aware of the anonymous 999 calls made to the control centre. The witness said he was present when gardaí attended Ms Rowe's house and she had asked officers whether her son had "done something terrible". Ms Rowe told gardaí that Trevor no longer lived with her and was now living at Abbey Street.
Gda Keane said he heard noises and shouting coming from the upstairs apartment at Abbey Street. The witness said gardaí entered the premises and Mr Rowe was upstairs in the dark. The accused appeared intoxicated and was shoving something down the back of his trousers at the time but was told to stop by gardaí. The accused then dropped two screwdrivers from his hands, he said.
The witness said he heard Mr Rowe say: "I murdered her, I done her head in and slit her throat. I could tell you about five more too". The accused then lay on the ground and cried.
Mr O'Kelly asked the witness if gardaí had asked the accused who he had killed. "He didn't make a response and wasn't making sense," he replied.
Gda Keane said the defendant got into the patrol car which was driven to Maudlin Street. Gardai knocked at a house with a red door but someone came to the door and indicated to officers that everything was ok there.
Mr Rowe and gardaí proceeded to walk up Maudlin Street. When they turned onto a lane, Mr Rowe fell to his knees and said "I didn't mean to" before pointing at a corner house in the courtyard. The court heard this was not Ms Butler's house but the one beside it was.
Under cross-examination, Gda Keane agreed with Ms Leader that Mr Rowe said he had murdered a woman when they went to his apartment and had laid on the ground crying. He also agreed that her client was not making any sense at that stage.
The witness further agreed that Mr Rowe had looked confused when he pointed out a house with a red door only for officers to be told everything was OK there.
When the accused fell to his knees on Maudlin Street and broke down, the witness said he heard Mr Rowe say he "didn't mean to" and then point in the direction of Ms Butler's house.
The trial continues this afternoon before Ms Justice Karen O'Connor and a jury of seven men and five women.
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