Patricia O'Connor death: 'Lovely parent', 'donkey', 'useless', 'nut' - many sides to man who became killer

Greene lived at his family home in Tallaght with his parents and younger sister and had no other girlfriends before he met Louise O'Connor in the mid-2000s, starting a 12-year relationship.

Greene was a hands-on parent to their young children, as well as helping out raising Louise's two older girls, one of whom was co-accused Stephanie O'Connor.

The older girls' father and Louise's ex Keith Johnston became "good buddies" with Greene, saying he could not find fault with him.

Greene drove the children to school, where he was considered a "lovely parent" by the secretary.

He was even on school run duty after returning at dawn from the 200km round trip to Co Wexford for the "gruesome" task of burying the body.

The defence said this showed he was a "donkey, a beast of burden" who did the bidding of his family.

Stephanie told gardaí Greene had "always been a great dad" to his three young children and "I have always held him in high regard".

But Mr Johnston described jobless Greene as having no life outside the four walls of 66 Mountain View Park.

"He doesn't like fishing, football or tools, he's not like a normal bloke," Mr Johnston told gardaí.

Greene was "useless" at jobs around the house - something Patricia gave him "stick" for, Mr Johnston said.

Louise's brother Richard O'Connor went further and described Greene as a "moron", saying his sister "wore the trousers" in the relationship.

Unusually, it was Greene's defence that stressed the fact he "wasn't very bright", suggesting he was "well-primed by others" when he handed himself in to gardaí and gave what he later said was a false confession.

When he retracted his confession, prosecutor Róisín Lacey said, his motive was the oldest in the book: jealousy over what he saw as his one-time "good buddy" now back with Louise, staying in Greene's house, although Mr Johnston told gardaí there was "nothing romantic going on".

So what might have driven Greene to violence?

He claimed he and his family got daily abuse from Patricia and life with her was "10 years of hell". After he killed her, he said "I'm finally" free.

When Louise was questioned by gardaí, she said Greene was a "f***ing nut" who "destroyed our family".

"He was obviously under so much pressure," she said. "I can't understand a murderer's mind."