Delusional rantings of O'Reilly's brother

Apart from the reopening of a trauma for Rachel's family, his comments were an insult to a thorough and forensic investigation by An Garda Siochana and the unanimous decision of a jury of the State.

Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that this killer's brother is attempting to defend him. But God knows what Rachel's relations are going through reading it.

The facts: Joe O'Reilly battered his wife to death at their home in the Naul in October 2004.

A jury of his peers found him unanimously guilty of the premeditated murder in 2007.

After being jailed for that brutal crime, his subsequent appeal in 2009 was dismissed by three judges sitting in the Court of Criminal Appeal.

horrific

A 'gentle giant' says Derek of his brother Joe in yesterday's interview. The facts -- the blood spatters in the family home were horrific such was the savage battering Rachel received from Joe. She eventually died from several blunt blows to the head.

Derek says that no woman could ever live up to Rachel in Joe's eyes. However, he also admits that, despite this deep love, Joe was carrying on an affair with Nikki Pelley.

And what about the emails in which Joe made abusive references to his wife? No mention of them.

Derek says that Joe had no blood stains on his clothes so therefore couldn't have murdered his wife. Joe had a couple of hours to get changed before the gardai saw him. A murderer can kill wearing no clothes or, at the other extreme, have some sort of costume. When you are a murderer like Joe O'Reilly, you plan the details.

Does Derek not understand the concept of pre-meditation?

What about the mobile phone evidence that put Joe near the crime scene in the Naul when he claimed not be anywhere north of the Broadstone bus depot? It blew apart his bogus alibi.

bizarre

However, Derek claims that he knows of people who live in Dublin but get bills for phone calls made in Wales.

This rather bizarre, untested, anecdotal opinion is in contrast with the evidence under oath of an O2 internationally recognised mobile-phone expert. You cannot beat the facts.

The comments by Derek that Joe's legal team told him to look 'cold' during the trial is an insult to a defence team of the highest integrity led by barrister Douglas Gageby.

Derek also had some opinions on the investigating gardai. It is clear he is not too enamoured with the men who put his murderous brother away.

These are the same men who Rachel's mother Rose Callely thanked for bringing her daughter's killer to justice.

Derek claims that the gardai didn't warn him and Joe about what they would see when they went into the bloody crime scene.

Would he be talking about the same Joe who rang Rachel's mother Rose and told her to enter that house and find her daughter's battered body in such horrific circumstances?

destroyed

Rose's distress is mammoth in scale compared to what Derek had to see.

And don't forget the only reason any of them were there looking at blood-stained walls was because Joe murdered Rachel.

I don't believe Joe has ever come to terms with the fact that he has gone down for the murder of his wife. I am unclear as to whether his brother has either. We know they are very close.

The one thing we can be certain of is that Joe planned and executed the murder of his wife. He destroyed many lives in the process.

Delusional denial can only add more pain to their ongoing loss.