Who is Michael Kelley, the man questioned over the murder of Michael Gaine?
It is a drizzly morning in Tralee and few people seem to be paying much attention to the tall, bearded man in rain gear.
He is making his way across The Square in the Co Kerry town, just another person going about their business on another grey Irish day.
The man is Michael Kelley (53), a US army veteran from Maine, a northeastern state, but now resident in Tralee.
He is, to date, the only man to have been questioned about the murder of Kerry farmer
Mike Gaine
(56) whose dismembered remains were found two weeks ago at his farm outside Kenmare, two months after he went missing.
READ MORE
Kelley, standing 6ft tall and lean and muscular, is firm but polite when approached by The Irish Times and other media, saying he will not be doing any other interviews beyond what he has told The Irish Daily Mirror some days earlier.
He confirms that his reported comments are correct and that he was arrested by gardaí for questioning about Gaine's murder. He denied any involvement in the killing during nine interviews over 24 hours of questioning by gardaí.
[
American man Michael Kelley (53) confirms he was suspect arrested for questioning about Michael Gaine
Opens in new window
]
Kelley has alleged he is being framed for the crime by criminals.
'There may be elements that want to string me up – people who have an interest in organised crime – people who are involved in organised crime,' he has said.
He is calm and relaxed. He says he has been playing traditional Irish music, having been photographed playing the flute with a local busker some days earlier.
Michael Kelley busking on the streets of Tralee, Co Kerry. Photograph: Domnick Walsh/Eye Focus
As he agrees to pose for a photograph, he jokes that he will have to 'start charging $10 for pictures'.
Little is known about Kelley, who has become the suspect in an investigation into Gaine's gruesome murder.
Kelley, whose ancestors are understood to be from east Galway, grew up in a rural part of the US, outside the small village of Swanville, which has a population of about 1,500 and is in Waldo County in central Maine, about a two-hour drive northeast of Portland, the state's capital and largest city.
He was born on July 27th, 1971, the second child born to New Yorkers Patrick and Janice Kelley, who moved to Maine in 1967 with Janice's son, Damon, from her first marriage. The family settled on a five-acre holding at Upper Oak Hill Road in Swanville.
[
Michael Gaine case: Investigators believe most human remains at farm have been recovered
Opens in new window
]
Janice Kelley had lived in the East Village in New York with her first husband and she stayed there after their marriage ended, becoming acquainted with many of the folk musicians on the coffee shop circuit and some of the leading figures in the 1960s counterculture scene before they became famous.
She participated in the famous 1963 March on Washington, where she heard Martin Luther King make his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech. This was to inform her political thinking in later life, when she became an ardent Democrat strongly opposed to Republican Donald Trump.
Michael Kelley and his mother Janice in 2018 posted on Facebook
She and her husband set up a small business where she would design houses and he, a skilled carpenter, would build them. She taught her children an appreciation of nature and growing their own food.
Janice and Patrick Kelley divorced in 1974, and she moved with the children to Washington, Maine, but returned to Swanville in 1981, where she opened a second-hand store where people could buy music and jewellery as well as rock crystals and gemstones from around the world.
What role or influence Janice Kelley's politics and philosophy had on her son Michael is unclear, but in 1991, aged just 19, he found himself in the US army on a military base in Germany, where, when not on sentry duty, he watched as the first Gulf war unfolded in Kuwait and Iraq.
Kelley told the Irish Daily Mirror he never killed anyone when in the army and became a conscientious objector when he saw the horror of the 'Highway of Death', when hundreds of Iraqi troops were killed at night in February 1991 by American war planes as they retreated from Kuwait.
What Kelley did after he quit the US army is unclear. He seems to have kept a low profile for more than a decade.
On April 6th, 2006, he married Karen Harden in Northport, Maine. The couple divorced on June 23rd, 2014.
On December 22nd, 2009, he found himself the subject of critical comments from Judge Donald G Alexander of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court after he appealed a decision by Judge Michael Westcott of Maine District Court over the custody of his two daughters. The judge's criticisms are outlined in a
detailed eight-page published judgment
.
Michael Gaine, whose remains were found earlier this month, more than two months after the 56-year-old sheep farmer was last spotted in a supermarket in Kenmare
Kelley had been in a romantic relationship with a woman called Alicia Snow, and they had two daughters. After they separated Kelley brought a parental-rights action over his right of access to the children, who were living with their mother, a qualified nurse.
Initially the relationship between the separated couple was cordial but Kelley later claimed that Snow had breached the court order, which ruled that the children could live with her, when she took them on a visit out of state to Chicago, Illinois, to their grandfather without Kelley's consent.
Judge Westcott found for Snow in the initial hearing. Kelley appealed it to the state supreme court, where he represented himself. He called his wife, Karen, as a witness. After hearing testimony from both sides, including Snow and her father, Judge Alexander affirmed the earlier court order.
He said that Kelley's allegations and fears that Snow intended to move out of the state with the children were 'unfounded'. He concluded that Kelley's ability to determine fact from fiction was 'questionable', and that both Kelley's testimony and that of his wife was 'untrustworthy'.
Undated photograph of Michael Kelley posted in October 2017 on the Facebook page of a relative.
He said Kelley was an inflexible parent 'who makes false allegations that Snow is a witch and that she practises witchcraft on the children', while he also found that Kelley refused 'to take responsibility for his role in this conflict'.
It suited Kelley to be living off the grid as he wanted to be under the radar
—
A local in Kenmare
Judge Alexander agreed with Judge Westcott when he 'specifically stated why it did not find the testimony of Kelley and wife to be credible, including the unsupported allegations that Snow is casting spells on the children and an unwillingness to take responsibility for conflicts.'
Attempts by The Irish Times to contact Alicia Snow and her attorney Thomas F Shehan proved unsuccessful, but Kelley did confirm to the Irish Daily Mirror that he had lost custody of his children, now adults with whom he is in contact, after falsely claiming their mother was a witch.
Kelley says he arrived in Ireland seven years ago. From inquiries by The Irish Times, it appears he first surfaced in Kenmare about six years ago, squatting on a boat while working for a man harvesting kelp in Kenmare Bay.
Garda forensics specialists at Michael Gaine's farm at Carrig East near Kenmare where partial human remains were discovered. Photograph: Domnick Walsh/Eye Focus
When that job ended, he reportedly lived in a shed in Templenoe, a village about eight kilometres along the Ring of Kerry route west of Kenmare, before taking up residence three km away in Scully's Wood near Dromquinna. There, he lived in a tent and reportedly used survivalist skills to live off wildlife.
It was while he was there that he met Mike Gaine.
'Mike was out shooting deer with a friend in Scully's Wood when they came across Kelley,' says one local.
'It was around 2022 and Mike offered him the use of his old, abandoned family farmhouse at Carrig East in return for doing jobs around the farm and Kelley agreed.'
Gaine's farm at Carrig East is about seven kilometres from Kenmare, near Moll's Gap, the scenic spot popular with tourists.
'Kelley used to earn his keep working for Mike, feeding the animals and such like. They used to go hunting together – it was a very informal, loose arrangement, there was no lease, no contract – it suited Kelley to be living off the grid as he wanted to be under the radar,' says the local.
'There was no electricity in the farmhouse, but that didn't seem to bother him – he was rarely in town – Mike used to drive him every so often in to Aldi or Lidl to do his shopping, but beyond that he never hung around, never went into pubs.
'He was just this very reclusive American drifter.'
Kelley told the Irish Daily Mirror that he applied for asylum when he first arrived in Ireland but had been refused.
Garda sources confirmed he was served with deportation order four weeks ago, though he remains living in Tralee.
'I've asked for an ombudsman to review my asylum but that's gone nowhere,' he said.
'I'm not surprised – I may have a claim to Irish citizenship based on the standing laws of this country based on my ancestry ... [but] I don't see that they are going to deport me in the middle of this case.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
36 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Boy (16) ‘at real risk of death' after targeting by drug dealers brought to secure care
A 16-year-old boy in State care 'at real risk of death' as he is targeted by drug dealers to whom he owes money was ordered to be picked by gardaí on Thursday and brought to a secure-care unit. In an unusual step, Tusla applied to the High Court for an interim secure care order on an ex-parte basis – where only one side is represented – to ensure neither the boy nor his father knew before the boy could be picked up. Judge John Jordan heard the teenager, who has a difficult family history and has been in care since 2023, was not staying in his current placement. 'He is essentially residing with father ... His behaviour has deteriorated in the last couple of months,' counsel for Tusla said. READ MORE 'There is a real threat to this child's life. He has become involved in drug-dealing, has amassed a drug debt and on [a date in March] two other teenagers present in his house ... when they left somebody shot at them.' One was injured, but gardaí advised the 16-year-old 'was the target for the attack' and 'there was an intent to kill'. The boy 'struggles to regulate his emotions', had abused care staff and was 'totally disengaged from education'. The judge was satisfied the boy's 'chaotic lifestyle', vulnerability and the 'real risk to his life' reached the threshold for an interim secure care order. A child or young person who is deemed to be at such a risk to themselves, or others, as to need therapeutic residential care may be detained in secure care by the High Court. Another boy, aged 13, who had barricaded himself in his room for months living on fizzy drinks and junk food, had gained four kilos since 'finally' entering secure care in April. A secure care order had been made in December. Supporting Tusla's application to extend the order for a further three months, David Leahy SC for the guardian ad litem – an independent person appointed by the court to be the voice of the child – said the boy had 'very significant attachment difficulties'. 'Given the circumstance in which he grew up how could that not be so?' he said. The boy's mother was dead and his father only recently made contact with him. The judge met the boy in recent months, in secure care. 'He is only 13 years old but in fact would pass for a boy of seven or eight. He is a tiny, diminutive young boy who clearly has suffered huge neglect despite the best efforts of [foster carers] to address that.' The foster placement broke down and the boy was in a special emergency arrangement in the community. 'In recent years he has had no safe relationships,' the judge said. 'He has sought out peers, generally older teenagers who were engaging in criminal activity ... [making himself] vulnerable and placing himself at risk.' His secure-care order was extended. A three-month extension to secure care was granted in the case of a 14-year-old boy admitted in February. The boy had 'made good progress' and was 'happier and more regulated'. However, he 'does not understand the consequences of his behaviour' and was resisting therapeutic interventions. 'This is a boy with significant problems as a result of the dysfunctional household into which he was born and severe trauma he suffered as a child,' said the judge. There had been 'issues of drugs and alcohol, child sexual exploitation on top of the neglect'. A fresh secure-care order was granted in respect of a 17-year-old boy who has been 'fire-setting' in his secure-care placement. He will turn 18 in November, the court heard, and is 'very concerned' about having to leave the unit. 'It was clear from speaking to him [special care] was having a hugely beneficial effect.'
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Teenage boys sentenced to six years in detention for raping girl in car at Limerick Racecourse
Two boys who raped a teenage girl in a car at Limerick Racecourse when they were aged just 13 and 15 have each been sentenced to six years in detention. A third defendant, now aged 18, who was found guilty of aiding and abetting the rapes by moving the car in which it occurred was jailed for 3½ years. The daytime attack against the girl involved humiliation and degradation, the Central Criminal Court heard. The convicted rapists and their families do not accept the verdicts of the jury and there was a heavy garda presence in court for Thursday's sentencing. READ MORE Mr Justice Paul McDermott said that had the boys – who are all cousins – been adults at the time of the offending, the headline sentence for the rape offences would have been in the range of 15 years to life imprisonment. 'This was a 16-year-old intoxicated girl in a vulnerable situation subjected to rape and sexual assault,' he said. 'She was raped one after the other by (the two boys) and in the course of these rapes, she was sexually assaulted.' The girl was repeatedly said 'no' during the assaults and further indignity and humiliation was heaped upon her by video footage being taken of the incident, the judge said. Handing down sentence, Mr Justice McDermott noted there was very little to be said in mitigation for the boys, as they have not expressed remorse or any understanding of the harm caused to the complainant. They must be sentenced as juveniles under the Children Act, in which detention is a last resort, the court heard. The judge accepted the third defendant, who aided and abetted the rapes, has taken some responsibility for his involvement but struggles to understand it. He noted they have no previous convictions and have been subject to some childhood trauma, with mental health difficulties in their families. They had a lack of understanding in the areas of sexual relations and consent, the court heard. Mr Justice McDermott sentenced the two rapists to 7½ years of detention, with the final 18 months suspended on a number of conditions, including that they engage in sexual offending programmes and have no contact with the complainant. The judge noted that part of their sentence will be served in prison. He sentenced the third defendant to five years in jail as he is now aged over 18. He suspended the final 18 months on the same conditions. The three boys stood trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork earlier this year, with two of them (now aged 16 and 17) found guilty of sexually assaulting and raping the then 16-year-old girl in a car at the racecourse on December 26th, 2022. They were 13 and 15 at the time. The third boy (now 18) was found guilty by the jury of four counts of aiding and abetting the rapes and sexual assaults following the six-week trial. The court heard he moved the car during the course of the attack. He was aged 15 at the time. He was acquitted of one count of false imprisonment. The boys denied raping the girl, telling gardaí differing versions of events, with one claiming he was in Dublin on the day in question. They all eventually claimed it was a consensual encounter. Det Garda Lisa O'Regan told Dean Kelly SC, prosecuting, that the girl was socialising with her friends at the racecourse on the day in question. She was, in her own words, 'really drunk' when she got chatting to the three boys, Mr Kelly said. The court heard she agreed to go for a walk with one of the boys because she wanted to kiss him. Instead, she found herself in a car belonging to one of the boy's fathers where she was sexually assaulted and raped by two of them. When medically examined later that evening, she was found to have extensive bleeding and bruising. She was a virgin before the attack. The complainant, now aged 18, was not in court for the sentence hearing. In a victim statement read out on her behalf by counsel, she described her fear and anxiety in the aftermath of the attack, during which she was 'begging them to get off me'. 'At the age of 16, I had my innocence stripped away from me,' she said. 'These two (boys) took what they wanted with no regrets.' She said her parents had to hear every 'vulgar' and 'gruesome' detail of what happened to her and that she will 'forever have guilt on my shoulders – not just for how it affected me, but everyone around me'.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Almost 400 Irish writers sign statement calling for immediate ceasefire in Israel-Palestine conflict
Almost 400 writers in Ireland have signed an Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict , the release of all hostages and the protection of the lives and human rights of writers, journalists and all innocent people affected by the ongoing conflict. Since October 7th, 2023, at least 181 journalists, 120 academics and 23 writers have been killed. According to PEN International, this has now been the deadliest war for writers since the second World War. Signatories include well-known figures such as Roddy Doyle , Marian Keyes , Colum McCann , Donal Ryan , Lisa McInerney , Kevin Barry , Mary Costello , Paul Lynch , Sinéad Gleeson , Jan Carson, Glenn Patterson, Paula Meehan, Carlo Gébler, Theo Dorgan and Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin among a total of 388 writers. More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the conflict. READ MORE Arundhati Roy stated in last year's PEN Pinter Prize speech: 'Not all the power and money, not all the weapons and propaganda on earth, can any longer hide the wound that is Palestine. The wound through which the whole world, including Israel, bleeds.' The PEN community has repeatedly called for an 'immediate end of all hostilities, the protection of civilians, and a just resolution to the conflict', and urged the United Nations and its member states 'to take all necessary steps to broker an immediate ceasefire'. 'Together with colleagues from across the globe,' the letter went on, 'Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the protection of lives and human rights of writers, journalists, and all innocent people affected by the ongoing conflict in Palestine.' It quotes Amnesty International , which has stated: 'Israel must immediately end its devastating siege on the occupied Gaza Strip which constitutes a genocidal act, a blatant form of unlawful collective punishment, and the war crime of using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.' The letter pledged that alongside amplifying the voices of writers of Palestine , 'we must also do all we can to help bring an end to the unimaginably difficult situation they are facing on the ground daily'. [ 'So much gratitude in West Bank for Irish solidarity': How Nobel Prize-winners are raising Palestinians' plight Opens in new window ] 'As in the PEN Charter, literature knows no frontiers and must remain common currency among people in spite of political or international upheavals; PEN stands for the principle of unhampered transmission of thought within each nation and between all nations, and members pledge themselves to oppose any form of suppression of freedom of expression, condemning any racist, antisemitic, or Islamophobic commentary that has been used in relation to the conflict. 'We stand in solidarity with Palestinian, Jewish, and Israeli people who are opposing the genocide perpetuated by the current Israeli government. 'We ask that the international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, be respected at all times. And we ask all nations to join our call for the immediate distribution of food and medical aid in Gaza by the UN and an immediate ceasefire guaranteeing safety for all Palestinians, Israeli hostages, and Palestinians arbitrarily held in Israeli jails.'
