Latest news with #Gaine
Sunday World
13 hours ago
- Sunday World
Relative of man arrested over Mike Gaine's killing says ‘he's not capable of murder'
Michael Kelley was described as a 'gentle lion' and 'highly intelligent' A family member of a man arrested over the murder of Kerry farmer Mike Gaine has said they cannot conceive that he could be capable of murder. Michael Kelley (53), from Maine in the United States, has told a number of news organisations that he was arrested and questioned as part of the investigation, but said he is being framed by others involved in the killing. A family member of Mr Kelley residing in the US told the Sunday World: 'The Michael I knew was not capable of murder, but we haven't spoken in years.' They described him as a 'gentle lion', and said he is 'highly intelligent' and is 'always generous with people in need'. Separately, court documents obtained by the Sunday World regarding a case in the US several years ago detail how a judge said Mr Kelley has 'questionable ability' to 'determine fact from fiction'. Mr Kelley was arrested on May 18 over the murder of 56-year-old Mr Gaine. He was questioned for 24 hours before being released without charge. In a series of interviews, the American, who says he is a former US soldier, has denied any involvement in the murder of Mr Gaine. Michael Kelley was arrested and released without charge. Photo: Domnick Walsh Mike Gaine: Chief suspect insists he had nothing to do with Kerry farmer's death Until recently, Mr Kelley lived for around three years on Mr Gaine's farm and was employed as a labourer, assisting with physical tasks on the extensive south Kerry farm, which spans about 1,000 acres. It is understood that gardaí are exploring a number of potential theories as they look for a motive in the case. In the early days of the investigation, it is understood that gardaí profiled a number of people who knew Mr Gaine well. A number of individuals were quickly ruled out of the probe. A source said that there have been 'no major developments' in the case in the past week. Mr Kelley is currently free to leave the country, having been released without charge following his arrest on suspicion of murder. However, it's understood that he doesn't have a passport at present. The 53-year-old previously sought asylum in Ireland. In an interview with RTÉ, Mr Kelley spoke of his relationship with Mr Gaine. 'We worked hand and glove. Doing the sheep or whatever, dosing them and stuff. I had already handled animals. I was fixing cars and tractors for him [Gaine],' he said. Mr Kelley said he last saw Mr Gaine at 'around 10am' on March 20 when they met in the farmyard. Michael Kelley was arrested and released without charge. Photo: Domnick Walsh News in 90 seconds - June 2nd He said Mr Gaine had indicated to him that he was planning to meet somebody that day, before giving Mr Kelley a list of chores to complete. Mr Kelley said he then returned to the old farmhouse to make coffee, adding that was the last time he saw Mr Gaine. 'Around 10am. He was as normal as ever. He was doing his chores,' Mr Kelley told RTÉ. 'Redistributing the silage and things. Just ordinary chores. He said 'look after the chores for me. I'm just going to meet a man. I'll be back later'. 'He didn't come back that night. He said he would be back. Then they came looking for him at about 10am the following morning.' Mr Gaine went missing on March 20. His car, which contained a number of personal items, was found on the farm at Carrig East, situated between the town of Kenmare and Moll's Gap. Mike Gaine's remains were found on his farm Mr Kelley told RTÉ: 'I wouldn't describe us as great friends, but we got on. Our relationship was transactional. He gave me accommodation, food and paid me. In return I worked on his farm. 'We had a good working relationship, a civil relationship. We got on and understood one another. 'We are both farmers. We are getting along because we are grown men and we have work to do. 'We were brothers of the land, around the same age, with similar interests, and I liked that sense of brotherhood.' A musician who plays the flute and tin whistle, Mr Kelley was recently seen busking in Tralee, where he has been pictured and has given interviews. In an effort to establish Mr Gaine's whereabouts, an extensive search of his farm, surrounding valleys and lakes was initiated. On April 29, Mr Gaine's disappearance was upgraded by gardaí from a missing person case to a homicide investigation. Human remains were discovered on Mr Gaine's farm on May 16, when one of his nephews and a neighbour were spreading slurry on fields. The farm was immediately sealed off and declared a crime scene. Further human remains are believed to have been found in a slurry spreader and in a slurry tank on the farm in the following days. Gardaí say DNA tests have since confirmed that the remains are those of Mr Gaine. A specialist examination of the slurry tank on Mr Gaine's hillside farmyard days after he disappeared did not uncover his dismembered remains. Questions are now being asked as to how they went undetected by gardaí. However, sources have said that Mr Gaine's remains had been dismembered to such an extent that the small pieces of his body somehow went unnoticed during a specialist search of the slurry tank by gardaí and members of Kerry County Fire Services on March 24.
Sunday World
a day ago
- Sunday World
Funeral arrangements announced for Kerry farmer Mike Gaine
Funeral arrangements have now been published for the Mr Gaine, who it is now believed was murdered on his farm in Kerry The community in Kenmare will gather later this week to say their final farewell to the hugely popular Kerry farmer Mike Gaine. Funeral arrangements have now been published for the Mr Gaine, who it is now believed was murdered on his farm in Kerry. His remains were found in recent weeks and following the conclusion of the post mortem his body has now been returned to his family to allow them to bury the beloved husband, brother and uncle. Condolences have been pouring since the funeral arrangements were released this morning with many offering their support tot he family at this difficult time and remembering Mike as the wonderful man he was. 'Michael's presence, his light, and the way he touched those around him will never be forgotten,' said one online tribute. " Another stated that they hoped the funeral will bring closure to the family after a very difficult three months. Mr Gaine will repose at Finnegan's Funeral Home in Kenmare next Friday, June 6 from 2pm with Rosary at 7pm. His funeral mass will take place at Holy Cross Church in Kenmare at 10.30am on Saturday, June 7. He will arrive at the church at 9.30am. His final resting place is to be kept private. Mr Gaine is sadly missed by his wife Janice and sisters Noreen and Catherine as well as nieces Emma and Rachael and nephews Jamie and Mark and brother-in-law Sean. He is also missed by his aunt Noreen and by his many friends including DJ and Shane as well as his loyal friends. in the farming and rallying community, his death notice reads. The late Mike Gaine News in 90 Seconds - June 1st The family have asked for family flowers only with donations in lieu of flowers to Kerry Mountain Rescue and SARDA (Search and Rescue Dog Association). Both these charities played a significant role in the search for Mr Gaine after he was first reported missing on March 21. An extensive search took place over six weeks involving not only a huge community effort but also many searches agencies but no trace of the farmer was found. The missing person's case was officially upgraded to homicide just over a month ago. Tragically his partial remains were found almost two weeks ago when his nephew and close friend were spreading slurry. Forensics later confirmed the partial remains as those of Mr Gaine. The farm was immediately closed off and declared a crime scene. Specialised garda units and the Defence Forces have spent the past two weeks on the farm just outside Kenmare searching for evidence in the ongoing murder investigation. A man was arrested and released without charge in the case. A huge crowd is expected to attend his funeral given the high-esteem he was held in the community and the tragedy of his death.
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- RTÉ News
Suspect in Gaine case claims he is being framed by criminals
The suspect in the Michael Gaine murder case has denied having any involvement in the killing of the Co Kerry farmer. Michael Kelley, a former US Army soldier, claims he is being framed by a subversive criminal organisation. Mr Kelley, who is an American citizen in his 50s, has told RTÉ News that he was the man arrested and questioned by gardaí on suspicion of murdering Mr Gaine. Having been detained and questioned for a period of 24 hours in Killarney Garda Station he was released without charge on 19 May. RTÉ News has spoken to Mr Kelley on two occasions. The first interview took place in early April in the old farmhouse where Mr Kelley had been living on Mr Gaine's farm. This interview was conducted before Mr Kelley was arrested and when Mr Gaine's disappearance was still being treated as a missing persons case. Mr Kelley also spoke to RTÉ News last Monday, in the apartment where he now lives in Tralee. During this meeting, Mr Kelley confirmed on the record that he had since been arrested and questioned. He also reaffirmed aspects of this case discussed in the initial meeting. Mr Kelley said he worked as a labourer on Mr Gaine's farm for almost three years. "We worked hand and glove. Doing the sheep or whatever, dosing them and stuff. I had already handled animals. I was fixing cars and tractors for him." Mr Kelley said he last saw Mr Gaine "around 10am" on 20 March when they met in the farmyard. Mr Gaine had indicated to him that he was planning to meet somebody that day, before giving Mr Kelley a list of chores to complete during the day. Mr Kelley said he then returned to the old farmhouse to make coffee, adding that was the last time he saw Mr Gaine. "Around 10am. He was as normal as ever. He was doing his chores. Redistributing the silage and things. Just ordinary chores. "He said 'look after the chores for me. I'm just going to meet a man. I'll be back later'. "He didn't come back that night. He said he would be back. Then they came looking for him at about 10am the following morning." The Kerry farmer disappeared on 20 March. Mr Gaine's vehicle, which contained a number of personal items, was found on the farm at Carrig East, situated between the town of Kenmare and Moll's Gap. In an effort to establish the whereabouts of Mr Gaine, an extensive search of Mr Gaine's farm, surrounding valleys and lakes was initiated. Mr Gaine's disappearance was upgraded by gardaí from a missing person case to a homicide investigation on 29 April. Human remains were discovered on Mr Gaine's farm on 16 May, as workers were spreading slurry on fields. The farm was immediately sealed off and declared a crime scene. Further human remains are believed to have been found in a slurry spreader and in a slurry tank on the farm in the following days. Gardaí say DNA tests have since confirmed that the human remains are those of Mr Gaine. Mr Kelley was arrested on suspicion of murder by gardaí in Tralee on 16 May. He had relocated to an apartment there two weeks previous to his arrest. Mr Kelley denies any involvement in the murder of Mr Gaine and believes Mr Gaine may have been lured to his death by sinister elements. "If he wasn't around the barn during the day, it's possible that somebody lured him, maybe at gun point, in to an area of concealment. You could walk 100 yards from the barn and be totally out of sight." Mr Kelley has his own theories about how Mr Gaine was killed and how his body was disposed of. He also believes there are questions to be answered about the way the investigation is being conducted by gardaí. Mr Kelley said he was taken to Sneem Garda Station shortly after Mr Gaine's disappearance to make a voluntary statement. Mr Kelley was arrested on 18 May, two days after human remains were discovered on Mr Gaine's farm. Questioned by RTÉ News about his relationship with Mr Gaine, Mr Kelley described it as "transactional" and "a good working relationship." "I wouldn't describe us as great friends, but we got on. Our relationship was transactional. He gave me accommodation, food and paid me. In return I worked on his farm. "We had a good working relationship. A civil relationship. We got on and understood one another. "We are both farmers. We are getting along because we are grown men and we have work to do. "We were brothers of the land, around the same age, with similar interests, and I liked that sense of brotherhood." Mr Kelley said he repaired and maintained farm machinery and vehicles for Mr Gaine. Mr Kelley also showed RTÉ News an old range [stove] in the farmhouse which he said he had repaired and plumbed to provide hot water in a makeshift sink. Mr Kelley was using what appeared to be a tractor battery to charge his personal devices. He said there was no electricity in the house, but that he was comfortable. "The arrangement got me out of the limbo I was in where I needed a job and I needed a place to stay. I was doing the work and we were getting along alright. Mr Kelley is originally from a rural part of Maine in the United States. He said he served in the US military as an infantry private and spent an extended period of his service in Germany. Mr Kelley, who is separated and has three daughters, said he arrived in Ireland in late 2017. He claims he was forced to flee the United States as he had been investigating criminal activity there and feared his life was in danger. Mr Kelley said he remains in danger and he is of the belief that he continues to be monitored by sinister elements here in Ireland. "It's an organised crime network. It's co-ordinated on the internet," he said. After an unsuccessful attempt to secure asylum status in Ireland, Mr Kelley said he spent prolonged periods living in the forests in Killarney National Park and in another wooded area between Sneem and Kenmare. He said he held a number of jobs in the Glenbeigh and Sneem/Kenmare areas, including as a seaweed harvester and as a landscape gardener, before he went to work for Michael Gaine. Mr Kelley said he is a mechanic and also designs prototypes. During the interview in the old farmhouse on Mr Gaine's farm, Mr Kelley showed RTÉ News a sketch book which contained many detailed drawings of various pieces of equipment which he had designed. He said he hopes to share these designs with MI5 or other military entities. Mr Kelley is also a musician who plays the flute and tin whistle along with other instruments. He was recently seen busking in Tralee. During the course of his interview with RTÉ News he played a traditional Irish air, An Cúilfhionn. Mr Kelley said he first met Mr Gaine when he approached the farmer seeking work in 2022. He had been living in a makeshift camp in the woods a few kilometres from Mr Gaine's farm when Mr Gaine offered to let him stay in the old farmhouse: "It suited me. Firstly, it offered me access to food and it gave me a roof over my head," he said.
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Defiant Mike Gaine suspect speaks out with ‘$10 for pictures' joke & denies killing as he's spotted in Kerry town
A DEFIANT suspect joked he is going to have to start charging $10 for pictures as he stressed his innocence in the Michael Gaine case. 5 American Michael Kelley has stressed his innocence in the Michael Gaine case Credit: GARY ASHE - THE SUN DUBLIN 5 Mr Gaine vanished on March 20, with the last sighting of him in a shop in Kenmare Credit: An Garda Siochana 5 Mr Kelley worked on Gaine's farm at Carrig East near Kenmare for a number of years Credit: An Garda Siochana Mr Kelley emerged from his apartment after 10am today in waterproof gear as it rained down. He confirmed he was arrested but asked about the killing, he told The Irish Sun: 'I already denied that.' Walking back to his home after a brief trip into the town, Mr Kelley joked: 'It'll be 10 dollars for photographs in future.' Mr Kelley has been seen on the streets of Tralee playing the flute. Read more in News Asked what music he plays, he explained: 'Irish music. I started back when I was a teenager.' On whether or not he was sticking around, he replied: 'We'll see.' He also confirmed he was an ex US troop but would not expand further. Mr Kelley, who is subject to a deportation order, insisted his innocence to Most read in Irish News He accepts he As part of their inquiries, gardai contacted authorities in the US through Interpol - the organisation that facilitates worldwide police cooperation - to gather background on Mr Kelley, who is from Maine in the US. Major searches carried out in Michael Gaine probe after human remains found The His Some bones and tissue were discovered as the blockage, with gardai alerted immediately. Further remains were found in two fields where the slurry was spread, and in the tank the liquid substance was taken from. SUSPECT KNEW GAINE WELL Gardai confirmed on Sunday that Mr Kelley worked on Gaine's farm at Carrig East near Kenmare for a number of years and knew him well. But no incriminating evidence against Mr Kelley has come to light to charge him with any crime. It is suspected that Gaine may have been attacked and killed in the vicinity of his farmyard, the exact location of which remains unknown. BODY PARTS FOUND They believe his body was then dismembered Cops reckon the area was hosed down and disinfected while cattle in it continued to discharge onto the slats and into the tank. Detectives have yet to rule out that Gaine's body was moved from one location to another by using his bronze coloured 152 RAV4 Toyota jeep. The vehicle was found around 40 metres away from the shed and slurry tank in which his remains were dumped. SCENE SEALED OFF The scene remains sealed off at the farm as the major investigation continues. Last week, gardai expedited the testing on a chainsaw in a bid to get a breakthrough to nail whoever killed Mr Gaine. The power tool was discovered in Gaine's farmyard before being brought to Forensic Science Ireland's Backweston campus in Kildare to examine to see if scientists can garner DNA from it. Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan said this week he was 'very disturbed' by the case. MICHAEL GAINE TIMELINE March 20 : Michael Gaine is last seen buying phone credit in a Centra shop in Kenmare. March 21: Michael is reported missing to gardai by his wife Janice. March 22: Gardai release first missing person appeal seeking any information on missing Michael. March 22: Over 200 people show up to join a co-ordinated search for Michael as Gardai, the Coast Guard, Civil Defence, and Kerry Mountain Rescue are drafted in to help. March 24: Gardai issue a renewed appeal for information and excavate the Kenmare farmyard. The large slurry pit is emptied. March 25: Specialist garda divers are called in to search mountain lakes and a garda helicopter and drones search the farm from the sky. March 27: Gardai carry out checkpoints and trawl through hours of CCYV footage as Garda Superintendent David Callaghan makes a public appeal. March 31: Defence Forces personnel are brought in to assist as the search enters its 11th day. April 3: Emotional scenes at Kenmare Mart as some cattle and sheep belonging to Michael are sold off. April 15: Garda Commissioner Drew Harris says there are "no leads" in the case. April 29 : Missing persons case is upgraded to homicide, giving gardai further investigative powers. April 30: Gardai hold a press conference in Kenmare as Michael's wife, Janice, and his sister, Noreen O'Regan, appear in a video appeal for the first time, pleading for any information on where the farmer is. May 16: An area of Michael's farm is declared a crime scene as human remains are found by a family friend spreading slurry. May 18: A man, aged in his 50s, is arrested on suspicion of the murder of Michael and questioned by gardai. May 19: The arrested man is released without charge and gardai confirm the search of the farm and its lands is ongoing. 5 The scene remains sealed off at the farm as the investigation continues 5 It is suspected that Gaine may have been attacked and killed in or around his farmyard Credit: Virgin Media News
Extra.ie
6 days ago
- Extra.ie
Gaine suspect says organised criminals 'may be trying to string me up'
An American man who has identified himself as the man who was arrested for the suspected murder of Kenmare farmer Michael Gaine has suggested that organised criminals may be trying to frame him. Mr Gaine, a 56-year-old sheep farmer with land near Kenmare in Co. Kerry, was reported missing from his home more than eight weeks ago. Partial human remains, confirmed to be those of Mr Gaine, were discovered last week in a field where slurry was spread on Mr Gaine's farm. May 21st 2025: Forensic Gardai continue their examination of silage bales on the farm of Mike Gaine near Kenmare Counrty Kerry on Wednesday. Photo: Don MacMonagle An American man who was arrested as a suspect in the Michael Gaine murder investigation over a week ago, has now said that he had nothing to do with the farmer's death and suggested that someone is trying to 'string me up'. Farmhand and former member of the US Armed Forces, Michael Kelley made his status as an asylum seeker public last week after being arrested on Sunday, May 18, and detained at Killarney Garda Station in Co. Kerry. Mr Kelley was detained for 24 hours before being released without charge the following night. A member of Garda Technical Unit at the scene in Carrig East, Kenmare, as they investigate the disappearance of Kerry farmer Michael Gaine. Pic: Noel Sweeney/PA Wire Speaking to the Irish Mirror, the 53-year-old said: '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.' Mr Kelley was refused asylum in Ireland and had been served with a deportation notification. However, he still has the right to reside here and is legally entitled to appeal the refusal of his asylum application. Michael Gaine. Pic: An Garda Síochána Missing Persons Speaking to the Mirror, he said he is only seen as a suspect because 'I lived there'.
