Latest news with #StephenMooney
Daily Mail
23-07-2025
- Daily Mail
'I'm really sorry. She's been having an affair': Chilling words of jealous husband who recorded himself murdering his wife
A man has been sentenced to life for the murder of his wife after gardaí found footage of the incident on a phone he set up to spy on her, a court has heard. The father-of-two, who inadvertently recorded stabbing his Ukrainian wife to death, told paramedics and gardaí at the scene she was having an affair and he 'freaked out' after seeing 'something on her phone about sex'. Stephen Mooney, 53, was yesterday sentenced at the Central Criminal Court to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for the murder of his 43-year-old wife Anna Mooney (née Shuplikova). At the hearing, Mooney took the stand to apologise to his wife's family and their children. He had pleaded guilty earlier this year to his wife's murder. This came after gardaí hacked into his phone and discovered video footage of the build-up to the killing and an audio recording of the murder itself. Outlining the evidence, Detective Sergeant Basil Grimes told prosecutor Desmond Dockery SC that Mooney called emergency services at 1.09am on June 15, 2023. He reported a person had been stabbed at his home on Kilbarrack Road, Kilbarrack, Dublin 5, and when asked who did it, he replied: 'I did.' A Dublin Fire Brigade officer was first on the scene and found Mooney kneeling over his wife's lifeless body, speaking to emergency services on the phone. She had a knife lodged in her chest. The defendant told the paramedic: 'I've killed her... She's my wife. This has been going on for years. I'm really sorry, she's been having an affair.' A garda took a note of Mooney saying: 'She's having an affair, it got out of control, I tried to save her, everyone's lives are ruined.' He added: 'It's awful, I'm sorry to put you through this. I saw something on her phone about sex and everything else and freaked out.' He later said: 'There is no suspect. I am the guilty one. There's nothing worth this.' Detective Garda Jeanette O'Neill carried out a technical exam of the home and found blood pooling on a couch and blood spatter on the wall behind it. Ms Mooney was lying on her back on the kitchen floor when paramedics arrived. Pathologist Dr Sallyanne Collis said the stab wound to Ms Mooney's chest tracked to 13.3cm and pierced the heart, diaphragm and abdominal cavity. The knife had a 16cm single-edged blade. There were stab wounds to the lower left side of her back, the left upper arm and further incised wounds to her left hand and arm. She had 'quite a considerable amount' of alcohol in her system. The pathologist concluded death was caused by multiple sharp force injuries. Det Sgt Grimes said that weeks before Mooney was to go on trial this year, gardaí accessed his phone for the first time using updated software that allows phones to be hacked, even when they are protected by a PIN code. Analysis of the phone found a 90-minute clip which included footage of the murder, he said. He added that Mooney can be seen leaving the room where the murder happens and returning with the weapon. The moment when Ms Mooney died was off-camera, but the audio records 'all events leading to her death'. Det Sgt Grimes said the video goes quiet before Mr Mooney can be seen returning to the kitchen where he drinks three glasses of water and runs water over his hands while making the 999 call. The detective said it appears Mooney had set the phone to record in an elevated position with a view of the kitchen table. Detectives believe he set it up that way to record his wife entering her PIN into her phone so he could then take it and find out who she was contacting. The recording was still running when Mooney attacked his wife. The detective confirmed that Mooney has worked as an estate agent and has no previous convictions. Under cross-examination, he agreed with defence counsel Michael Bowman SC that Ms Mooney moved to Ireland from Ukraine in 2004 and the pair married in 2005. They have two children. Det Sgt Grimes agreed the investigation had confirmed that Ms Mooney was having a relationship with a man in Germany. Following the detective's evidence, Mooney took the stand to apologise to his wife's family. 'I am truly sorry for what happened that night,' he said. 'It is the burden I go to bed with every night and wake up with every day. I loved Anna.' He finished by saying: 'I wish to apologise to my kids for the terrible suffering I have caused everybody. I hope one day everybody will be able to forgive me.' Judge Paul McDermott imposed the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. He said that he has no discretion in sentencing and that Mooney's future will be determined by a parole board.
Daily Mirror
22-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Man tried to catch wife cheating - but inadvertently filmed himself killing her
Stephen Mooney, 52, brutally killed his wife with a knife and the mother of his two children after he suspected she had been having an affair, with horrifying audio recording the murder A man who set up a camera in a bid to catch his wife cheating inadvertently filmed himself murdering her. Stephen Mooney, 52, was sentenced to life behind bars following at Ireland's Central Criminal Court, in Dublin, on Monday. Mooney murdered his 43-year-old wife Anna and at a hearing he apologised to his wife's family as well as their two children. He pleaded guilty to her murder earlier this year after Gardaí (Irish police) hacked into his pone and discovered video footage of the build-up to the murder as well as an audio recording of the murder itself. Detective Sergeant Basil Grimes told prosecutor Desmond Dockery SC that Mooney alerted emergency services at about 1:09am on June 15, 2023. He reported a person had been stabbed at his home in Kilbarrack Road, Kilbarrack, in Dublin, and when he was asked who did it, he replied: "I did." A fire brigade officer was first on the scene and found Mooney kneeling over his wife's lifeless body, speaking to emergency services. A knife still lodged in her chest. Mooney told a paramedic: "I've killed my wife. This has been going on for years. I'm really sorry, she's been having an affair." A Garda who arrived a short time later took a note of Mooney saying: "She's having an affair, it got out of control, I tried to save her, everyone's lives are ruined." He added: "It's awful, I'm sorry to put you through this. I saw something on her phone about sex and everything else and freaked out." He later said: "There is no suspect. I am the guilty one. There's nothing worth this." Detective Garda Jeanette O'Neill carried out a technical exam of the home found blood pooled on a couch as well as blood spatter on the wall just behind it. Ms Mooney was on her back in the kitchen floor when paramedics arrived. Pathologist Dr Sallyanne Collins said the stab wound pierced the heart, diaphragm and abdominal cavity. The knife that had been lodged in her chest had a 16cm single-edged blade and a wooden handle, the Irish Mirror reporter. Gardaí assessed his phone for the first time using updated software that allowed phones to be hacked, even when they are protected by a password or pincode. Analysis of the phone uncovered a 90-minute video clip that included footage of the murder. Mooney could be seen leaving the room where the killing happened and returning with the murder weapon. The moment Anna was murdered happened off-camera, but audio did record "all events leading to her death." Detective grimes said the video then went quiet before Mooney could be seen returning to the kitchen where he drank three glasses of water before running water over his hands while making the 999 call. The detective confirmed that Mooney has worked as an estate agent and has no previous convictions. Mooney agreed with defence counsel Michael Bowman SC that Anna moved to Ireland from Ukraine in 2004 and that they married in 2005. The couple has two children together. An investigation found Anna had a relationship with a man in Germany. Neither of the children were in court, but Anna's brother Anton Shuplikova listened to proceedings from Ukraine using a video-link and interpreter. Following the detective's evidence, Mooney took the stand to apologise to his wife's family. "I am truly sorry for what happened that night," he said. "It is the burden I go to bed with every night and wake up with every day. I loved Anna. I want to say sorry to Anton and his extended family." He finished by saying: "I wish to apologise to my kids for the terrible suffering I have caused everybody. I hope one day everybody will be able to forgive me." Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed a mandatory life sentence. He added he has no discretion in sentencing and that Mooney's future will be determined by a parole board.
Irish Times
21-07-2025
- Irish Times
Man who recorded himself murdering his wife said he killed her after ‘freaking out', court hears
A father of two who recorded the moment he stabbed his wife to death told emergency responders he killed her after he 'freaked out', a court has heard. Stephen Mooney (53) was on Monday sentenced at the Central Criminal Court to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife Anna Mooney, née Shuplikova. Mooney pleaded guilty to his wife's murder earlier this year after gardaí accessed the contents of his phone and discovered video footage of the build-up to the murder and an audio recording of the murder itself. Outlining the evidence, Det Sgt Basil Grimes told the court how Mooney called emergency services at 1.09am on June 15th, 2023. He reported that a person had been stabbed at his home on Kilbarrack Road, Kilbarrack, Dublin 5, and when asked who did it he replied: 'I did.' READ MORE A Dublin Fire Brigade officer was first on the scene and found Mooney kneeling over his wife's lifeless body, speaking to emergency services on the phone. She had a knife lodged in her chest. The defendant told the paramedic: 'I've killed her ... She's my wife. This has been going on for years. I'm really sorry. She's been having an affair.' A garda who arrived a short time later took a note of Mooney saying: 'She's having an affair. It got out of control, I tried to save her. Everyone's lives are ruined.' He also said: 'It's awful. I'm sorry to put you through this. I saw something on her phone about sex and everything else and freaked out.' He later said: 'There is no suspect. I am the guilty one. There's nothing worth this.' Det Gda Jeanette O'Neill found blood pooling on a couch and blood spatter on the wall immediately behind it. Ms Mooney was lying on the kitchen floor when paramedics arrived. Pathologist Dr Sallyanne Collis said the stab wound to Ms Mooney's chest tracked to 13.3cm and pierced the heart, diaphragm and abdominal cavity. There were further stab wounds to her back and her upper arm and incised wounds to her hand and arm. The pathologist said death was caused by multiple sharp force injuries. Det Sgt Grimes said that, weeks before Mooney was due to go on trial, gardaí accessed his phone using updated software that can access content protected by a password. Analysis of the phone uncovered a 90-minute video clip that included footage of the murder, he said. He said Mooney could be seen leaving the room where the murder happened and returning with the weapon. The moment when Ms Mooney died happened off-camera, he said, but the audio recorded 'all events leading to her death'. Det Sgt Grimes said the video went quiet before Mr Mooney could be seen returning to the kitchen where he drank three glasses of water and ran water over his hands while making the 999 call. The detective said it appeared that Mooney himself set the phone to record in an elevated position with a view of the kitchen table. Detectives believed Mooney set it up that way to record his wife entering her pin number into her own phone, so he could use it to find out who she was contacting. The detective confirmed Mooney had worked as an estate agent and had no previous convictions. Under cross-examination, he agreed with Michael Bowman SC, defending, that Ms Mooney moved to Ireland from Ukraine in 2004 and the pair married in 2005. They have two children together. Det Sgt Grimes agreed the investigation confirmed Ms Mooney was having a relationship with a man in Germany. Her brother, Anton Shuplikova, listened to the proceedings from Ukraine using a video-link and an interpreter. Following the detective's evidence, Mooney took the stand to apologise to his wife's family. 'I am truly sorry for what happened that night,' he said. 'It is the burden I go to bed with every night and wake up with every day.' He also said: 'I wish to apologise to my kids for the terrible suffering I have caused everybody. I hope one day everybody will be able to forgive me,' he said. Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed life imprisonment. He said he had no discretion in sentencing and Mooney's future would be determined by a parole board.
Irish Daily Mirror
21-07-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Man who recorded murder of his wife after finding out about affair learns fate
A father of two who inadvertently recorded the moment he stabbed his wife to death told paramedics and Gardaí at the scene that the deceased was having an affair and he "freaked out" after seeing "something on her phone about sex", a court has heard. Stephen Mooney, 53, was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court on Monday to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for the murder of his 43-year-old wife Anna Mooney (nee Shuplikova). At the hearing, Mooney took the stand to apologise to his wife's family and their two children. Mooney pleaded guilty to his wife's murder earlier this year after Gardaí hacked into his phone and discovered video footage of the build-up to the murder and an audio recording of the murder itself. Outlining the evidence, Detective Sergeant Basil Grimes told prosecutor Desmond Dockery SC that Mooney called emergency services at 1.09am on June 15, 2023. He reported that a person had been stabbed at his home on Kilbarrack Road, Kilbarrack, Dublin 5 and when asked who did it, he replied: "I did." A Dublin Fire Brigade officer was first on the scene and found Mooney kneeling over his wife's lifeless body, speaking to emergency services on the phone. She had a knife lodged in her chest. The defendant told the paramedic: "I've killed her... She's my wife. This has been going on for years. I'm really sorry, she's been having an affair." A Garda who arrived a short time later took a note of Mooney saying: "She's having an affair, it got out of control, I tried to save her, everyone's lives are ruined." He added: "It's awful, I'm sorry to put you through this. I saw something on her phone about sex and everything else and freaked out." He later said: "There is no suspect. I am the guilty one. There's nothing worth this." Detective Garda Jeanette O'Neill carried out a technical exam of the home and found blood pooling on a couch and blood spatter on the wall immediately behind it. Ms Mooney was lying on her back on the kitchen floor when paramedics arrived. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week Pathologist Dr Sallyanne Collis said the stab wound to Ms Mooney's chest tracked to 13.3cm and pierced the heart, diaphragm and abdominal cavity. The knife that had been lodged in her chest had a 16cm single-edged blade and a wooden handle. There were further stab wounds to the lower left side of her back, the left upper arm and further incised wounds to her left hand and arm. She had "quite a considerable amount" of alcohol in her system. The pathologist concluded that death was caused by multiple sharp force injuries. Detective Garda Grimes said that weeks before Mooney was due to go on trial this year, Gardaí accessed his phone for the first time using updated software that allows phones to be hacked even when they are protected by a password or pincode. Analysis of the phone uncovered a 90-minute video clip which included footage of the murder, he said. He said Mooney can be seen leaving the room where the murder happens and returning with the murder weapon. The moment when Ms Mooney died happened off-camera, he said, but the audio records "all events leading to her death". Detective Garda Grimes said the video then goes quiet before Mr Mooney can be seen returning to the kitchen where he drinks three glasses of water and runs water over his hands while making the 999 call. The detective said it appears that Mooney himself had set the phone to record in an elevated position with a view of the kitchen table. Detectives believe that Mooney set it up that way to record his wife entering her pin number into her own phone so that he could then take her phone and find out who she was contacting. The recording was still running when Mooney attacked his wife. The detective confirmed that Mooney has worked as an estate agent and has no previous convictions. Under cross-examination, he agreed with defence counsel Michael Bowman SC that Ms Mooney moved to Ireland from Ukraine in 2004 and the pair married in 2005. They have two children together. Detective Garda Grimes agreed that the investigation had confirmed that Ms Mooney was having a relationship with a man in Germany. Neither of the Mooney children were in court for Monday's hearing but Ms Mooney's brother, Anton Shuplikova, listened to the proceedings from Ukraine using a video-link and an interpreter. Following the detective's evidence, Mooney took the stand to apologise to his wife's family. "I am truly sorry for what happened that night," he said. "It is the burden I go to bed with every night and wake up with every day. "I loved Anna. I want to say sorry to Anton and his extended family." He finished by saying: "I wish to apologise to my kids for the terrible suffering I have caused everybody. I hope one day everybody will be able to forgive me." Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. He said that while the family did not make a victim impact statement, from the evidence and the nature of the offence, he understands the "huge damage and trauma that has been caused". He said he has no discretion in sentencing and Mooney's future will be determined by a parole board. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
BreakingNews.ie
21-07-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Man jailed for murder of his wife after discovering affair on her phone
A dad-of-two who inadvertently recorded the moment he stabbed his wife to death told paramedics and gardaí at the scene that the deceased was having an affair and he "freaked out" after seeing "something on her phone about sex", a court has heard. Stephen Mooney (53) was sentenced on Monday at the Central Criminal Court to the mandatory term of life imprisonment for the murder of his 43-year-old wife Anna Mooney (née Shuplikova). Advertisement At the hearing, Mooney took the stand to apologise to his wife's family and their two children. Mooney pleaded guilty to his wife's murder earlier this year after gardaí hacked into his phone and discovered video footage of the build-up to the murder and an audio recording of the murder itself. Outlining the evidence, Det Sgt Basil Grimes told prosecutor Desmond Dockery SC that Mooney called emergency services at 1.09am on June 15th 2023. He reported that a person had been stabbed at his home on Kilbarrack Road, Kilbarrack, Dublin 5 and when asked who did it, he replied: "I did." Advertisement A Dublin Fire Brigade officer was first on the scene and found Mooney kneeling over his wife's lifeless body, speaking to emergency services on the phone. She had a knife lodged in her chest. The defendant told the paramedic: "I've killed her... She's my wife. This has been going on for years. I'm really sorry, she's been having an affair." A garda who arrived a short time later took a note of Mooney saying: "She's having an affair, it got out of control, I tried to save her, everyone's lives are ruined." Advertisement He added: "It's awful, I'm sorry to put you through this. I saw something on her phone about sex and everything else and freaked out." He later said: "There is no suspect. I am the guilty one. There's nothing worth this." Det Gda Jeanette O'Neill carried out a technical exam of the home and found blood pooling on a couch and blood spatter on the wall immediately behind it. Ms Mooney was lying on her back on the kitchen floor when paramedics arrived. Advertisement Pathologist Dr Sallyanne Collis said the stab wound to Ms Mooney's chest tracked to 13.3cm and pierced the heart, diaphragm and abdominal cavity. The knife that had been lodged in her chest had a 16cm single-edged blade and a wooden handle. There were further stab wounds to the lower left side of her back, the left upper arm and further incised wounds to her left hand and arm. She had "quite a considerable amount" of alcohol in her system. The pathologist concluded that death was caused by multiple sharp force injuries. Advertisement Det Gda Grimes said that weeks before Mooney was due to go on trial this year, gardaí accessed his phone for the first time using updated software that allows phones to be hacked even when they are protected by a password or pincode. Analysis of the phone uncovered a 90-minute video clip which included footage of the murder, he said. He said Mooney can be seen leaving the room where the murder happens and returning with the murder weapon. The moment when Ms Mooney died happened off-camera, he said, but the audio records "all events leading to her death". Det Gda Grimes said the video then goes quiet before Mr Mooney can be seen returning to the kitchen, where he drinks three glasses of water and runs water over his hands while making the 999 call. The detective said it appears that Mooney himself had set the phone to record in an elevated position with a view of the kitchen table. Detectives believe that Mooney set it up that way to record his wife entering her pin number into her own phone so that he could then take her phone and find out who she was contacting. The recording was still running when Mooney attacked his wife. The detective confirmed that Mooney has worked as an estate agent and has no previous convictions. Under cross-examination, he agreed with defence counsel Michael Bowman SC that Ms Mooney moved to Ireland from Ukraine in 2004 and the pair married in 2005. They have two children together. Det Gda Grimes agreed that the investigation had confirmed that Ms Mooney was having a relationship with a man in Germany. Neither of the Mooney children were in court for today's hearing, but Ms Mooney's brother, Anton Shuplikova, listened to the proceedings from Ukraine using a video-link and an interpreter. Following the detective's evidence, Mooney took the stand to apologise to his wife's family. "I am truly sorry for what happened that night," he said. "It is the burden I go to bed with every night and wake up with every day." Ireland Man (22) pleads guilty to having gun and ammunitio... Read More "I loved Anna. I want to say sorry to Anton and his extended family." He finished by saying: "I wish to apologise to my kids for the terrible suffering I have caused everybody. I hope one day everybody will be able to forgive me." Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. He said that while the family did not make a victim impact statement, from the evidence and the nature of the offence, he understands the "huge damage and trauma that has been caused". He said he has no discretion in sentencing, and Mooney's future will be determined by a parole board.
