McCrea daughter relieved at father's conviction
The eldest daughter of a woman murdered by her husband today said her mother was a wonderful person who would never be forgotten.
Sharon McCrea said she and her three younger sisters were relieved that their father had been convicted of killing their mother, Dolores, 39, and burning her body.
“The family and I are relieved that the trial has come to an end and that the jury has returned with a guilty verdict and that justice has been done,” she said.
Donegal man Gary McCrea, 40, faces a life sentence after he was convicted of the murder of his estranged wife by a jury in Dublin’s Central Criminal Court.
McCrea had denied murdering her and burning her body at the rear of their old family home in Ballybulgin, Laghy, Co Donegal, between January 20 and 22, 2004.
State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy had told the three-week ong trial that the cause of death could not be established because the body had been so badly burned.
The jury took over four-and-a-half hours to return their unanimous verdict.
Speaking outside the court, Sharon McCrea said two families were victims of the case, the McCreas and the McGrorys, Mrs McCrea’s maiden name.
“My mother was a wonderful mother, daughter, sister and friend to us all and she will never be forgotten,” she said.
“We want to thank the local people of Ballintra and Donegal who have been there for us since mum’s death and to the local gardai who carried out the investigation in a professional manner and have kept us informed at all times through this difficult time.
“We ask the media to let us return to Donegal to pick up our lives. I have three younger sisters who need to move on with their lives without the glare of publicity.”
The trial heard the couple’s marriage broke up in August 2003, and Dolores moved out of the family home with her four daughters, who werethen aged 18, 14, seven and five.
On the day Ms McCrea disappeared, January 20, 2004, she left her home in Ballintra in her red 1997 Peugeot 306 to play darts in Donegal town but she never arrived, the court heard.
Dolores had said she was going to call on her estranged husband that evening to collect money for the car, which she was going to sell to him.
The following day, Ms McCrea’s children raised the alarm when she did not return hom.
When gardai arrived at the accused’s home, McCrea alleged his wife called for the money for the Peugeot and was collected in a silver car.
The next day, January 22, 2004, gardai began looking around the McCrea farm, where they found the smouldering remains of a fire, which contained badly charred human bones.
The jury heard McCrea had taken 20 quad tyres to his farm to allegedly burn bushes the week before the murder and had bought two large drums of diesel at a local garage on the day of her disappearance.
