Graham Dwyer trial: texts about making death look like suicide

‘I’m having lots of thoughts about killing you,’ read one message to Elaine O’Hara

Graham Dwyer (42), an architect from Kerrymount Close, Foxrock, Dublin, is charged with murdering childcare worker Elaine O’Hara (36) on August 22nd, 2012. Photograph: Cyril Byrne
Graham Dwyer (42), an architect from Kerrymount Close, Foxrock, Dublin, is charged with murdering childcare worker Elaine O’Hara (36) on August 22nd, 2012. Photograph: Cyril Byrne

The murder trial of architect Graham Dwyer has heard text messages, between Elaine O'Hara's phone and a phone the prosecution alleges belonged to Mr Dwyer, that discussed how they would make her death look like a suicide.

Text messages between an 083 number, which the prosecution alleges belongs to Mr Dwyer, and Ms O’Hara’s phone detail discussions about the owner of the 083 number killing Ms O’Hara.

“I’m having lots of thoughts about killing you,” read one message to Ms O’Hara, who also said they had “thought of three ways”.

“First I handcuff you, hang you in bedroom, remove cuffs and it looks like suicide. Second one, we go to woods, I take off your clothes, stab you, bury you, leave your clothes near sea at night, looks like you drowned.”

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Ms O’Hara replied: “Okay sounds feasible.”

Another message from the 083 number read: “Third one is like the first, only I slit your wrists in bath before cuffs.”

Ms O’Hara replied: “Okay sir, but problem, I don’t want to die”, to which the 083 number replied: “we all have to die sometime, these are ways I can do it without your consent . . . With your consent I would prefer second one, but you would write suicide note and I would make sure you are unconscious.”

Another message from the 083 number read: “How would you prefer to die?”

Ms O’Hara said “naturally”.

A reply from the 083 number to this message read: “Hahaha. No. Knife or rope or both.”

“Neither Sir. I always dream of just going to sleep and never waking up . . . I don’t want to die with stab wounds . . . it will hurt my family. Any other way than natural will hurt my family,” came the reply from Ms O’Hara.

“They will think you died at sea with option two,” said another text from the 083 number.

Ms O’Hara replied: “I want them to find my body. That’s important to me sir. Really important.”

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson is an Irish Times reporter