Cork man accused of murdering partner says she was lashing out at him and self-harming with knife

Accused told court Deana Walsh had accused him of cheating and was kicking and head-butting him when he hit her on the chest and she stopped moving

Adam Corcoran admits killing Deana Walsh but denies murder. Picture: Larry Cummins

The man on trial for murdering his partner at their apartment in Midleton was asked on Monday: “Did you kill her?” and he replied: “I killed her, yes.” 

31-year-old Adam Corcoran has pleaded not guilty to murdering mother of two, Deana Walsh at their home at John Barry House, Midleton, Co Cork, on August 2, 2024, and arson of the apartment.

Donal O’Sullivan, prosecution barrister, said not alone did Adam Corcoran murder the 27-year-old, but he started to dismember her body. He denied these allegations.

Mr O’Sullivan said: “You panicked — how do I get out of this? You changed your course. The injury to her left arm — almost amputated — carried out by the bread knife most likely. Essentially, you were trying to dismember the body?” 

Adam Corcoran, who cried a number of times during his evidence, said: “No.” 

The prosecution senior counsel continued: “When that did not work you decided, I will put aerosols on the cooker, go downstairs and wait for a while… What happened to her? Did you kill her?” 

The man who denies murder replied: “I killed her, yes.” 

“When you rang 999 you said suicide,” Mr O’Sullivan said, in relation to the explanation the accused gave for Ms Walsh’s death. 

The accused replied: “That is what I believed at the time. I didn’t know what happened.” 

“And then you said to the guards, you did not kill her — that was a lie?” the prosecutor said. 

The accused replied: “At the time that is what I believed.” 

“When did you remember all this?” Mr O’Sullivan asked, and the accused replied: “Months after, over a period of time, yeah.” 

Mr O’Sullivan said: “What you have done here, you have come in and you have lied repeatedly to this jury. Have you lied?” 

He replied: “No.” 

“You lied from the very start — to the 999 operator, to the guards when you spoke to them immediately after, you lied to guards the next day, you are lying now,” Mr O’Sullivan said. 

The defendant said: “No.” 

“You tried to invent a story to fit with physical facts of the case so that you will be found not guilty, is that what you are trying to do?” he was asked, and again replied: “No.” 

During his direct examination, Adam Corcoran was asked by his own senior counsel Brendan Grehan what his position was now about different injuries on the deceased. He replied: “I must have done.” 

“Did you intend to kill Daena?” Mr Grehan asked. He replied: “No.” 

“Did you intend to cause her serious injury?” he was asked and again and replied: “No.” 

“Did you love her?” Mr Grehan asked. He replied: “Very much so.” 

“Do you know how the fire started?” Mr Grehan asked. He replied: “No.” 

Asked about what occurred earlier on the day of Ms Walsh's death, he said they had been drinking and taking cocaine the night before and had not slept at all. “We planned to go into the city, buy a couple of Benzo’s. We had 15 or something left. We were going to have a look around for engagement rings as well, yeah,” he testified.

He said they couldn’t get the bus because they did not have the right change. He said at the bus stop, “Daena said I was looking at one of the girls on the bus.” He said he and Daena had vodka and lines of cocaine back at the apartment.

“She had the red knife in her hand. She was self-harming. She was cutting her [left] arm. She started shouting at me, saying I was cheating on her. I tried to reassure her I was not. She screamed at me… She was hitting me, head-butting me, lashing out. I didn’t know where the knife was. I was lashing out at her. I got on top of her. I hit her twice in the chest. She stopped moving. I was out of breath. I was dizzy. I felt wet on my T-shirt. The red knife was in my hand.

“I just ran from the house. I was running. I was halfway down the stairs. I didn’t know why I was running. I started walking out. I got outside then. I can’t remember what happened. I remember hearing the fire alarm.

“I seen the neighbour going into the apartment. I ran up and went in with him… I seen Daena on the floor. I made the 999 call.” 

Mr O’Sullivan cross-examined him on this account saying: “There is some kind of verbal dispute. She was accusing you of being unfaithful. The only injury you say was to her left arm and she lunged at you?” He replied: “Yeah.” 

Asked if he was saying she held a knife out towards him, he replied that he did not know and he said he grabbed both of her wrists.

Mr O’Sullivan referred to the accused man, saying he hit her twice in the chest and asked him to describe this. He replied: “I thought at the time it was my fist, yeah.” 

In relation to a knife, the accused said: “I dropped it. I caught it. On the swing of the catch, I cut her arm where it was already cut.” 

Mr O’Sullivan said: “Her left arm was almost amputated. I am putting it to you it is nonsense, you are making up a story to fit the facts, is that the case?” 

He replied: “No.” 

During cross-examination, Mr O’Sullivan said the pathologist found 25 sharp force injuries to the body of the deceased, including one chest wound through the chest which appeared to be “a composite wound of a number of wounds which merged into one”. 

The trial continues on Wednesday.