New York man not guilty by reason of insanity of murdering his father at Co Laois hotel

Henry McGowan, the American man accused of killing his father John McGowan at a luxury hotel in Co Laois in November 2024, has been found not guilty by reason of insanity.

McGowan, who was accused of murdering his father at Ballyfin Demesne in Co Laois on November 12, 2024, had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. 

During the three-day trial at the Central Criminal Court, two consultant psychiatrists, for the defence and prosecution, agreed McGowan was suffering from schizoaffective disorder at the time of the killing.

The 12-member jury deliberated for less than two hours before reaching its unanimous verdict on Thursday.

Judge Paul McDermott made an order committing McGowan to the Central Mental Hospital and directed the preparation of a psychiatric assessment by an approved medical officer.

He thanked the jury members for their participation in the case he described as "very difficult," and excused them from further jury duty for five years.

He also praised the McGowan family's "great dignity and courage" and the extreme care he said they had taken in "trying to do the right thing all along."

The case will be back in court on February 20, when the judge will hear evidence about the proposed treatment programme for McGowan.

McGowan, who has an address on Clinton Street in Brooklyn, New York, was arrested in Co Laois on the evening of November 12, 2024, and charged two days later with killing his father.

In a statement to The New York Times that week, the McGowan family said they were “deeply saddened by the death of John McGowan," and that John "did everything within his power to bring his son Henry, who suffers from a severe mental illness, the help he so desperately needs."

According to the Irish Examiner, the trial heard that McGowan first fell under the care of psychiatric professionals with an involuntary admission to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York in January 2022. It was there that McGowan's first "manic episode" was recorded, where psychosis was observed along with depression and suicidal ideation.

Two months later, McGowan was involuntarily admitted to the Sainte-Anne psychiatric hospital in Paris for four weeks. The trial heard he had suffered persistent paranoid delusions on a flight from the US, where he had attempted to seize an infant in a bassinet while under the delusional belief that the child needed to be sacrificed to protect the plane. McGowan had to be restrained by passengers on the flight and was arrested on his arrival at a Paris airport.

Henry's father John traveled to Paris soon after to assist his son as best he could; Henry was diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder following this incident.

In 2023, Henry ran the New York City Marathon, raising more than $10k for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of NYC (NAMI-NYC) in the process.

On his fundraising page, Henry wrote that he had been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder Type 1 after suffering a manic episode in January 2022.

"A little over a year ago, I was released from the hospital and began the process of reconnecting with reality, my dear friends and family, and eventually my work and hobbies," Henry wrote on his fundraising page.

"It was a painstaking path, but being on the other side of it, I am deeply grateful for and in disbelief at how much my life has improved in this relatively short time.

"There is no greater lesson from this experience than the importance of community. My family, friends, therapists/psychiatrists, and employer were a formidable force that put a large landing pad (spanning from NYC to Paris) underneath me, one that very well could have saved my life.

"Thank you all so much for everything you did for me."

Henry also made special note of the late Dr. Robert Hirschfeld, who he said was "instrumental in getting me transitioned back to life and made remarkable contributions to the understanding of bipolar disorder."

In November 2023, just days before the NYC Marathon, Henry spoke with ABC 7 News in New York about his preparation and fundraising efforts.

"If you're struggling, ask for help," Henry said. "Or if someone near you is struggling with mental illness, offer help."

According to RTE News, the first indication that McGowan was relapsing came in August 2024, when he asked his sister for $60,000. Two months later, his mother accompanied him to Italy as part of his trip to Europe and found him very manic; his family grew concerned that he was not taking his medication. 

McGowan traveled to Dublin on November 11 that year and claimed he ran from Dublin Airport to the city center. Henry had disposed of all his belongings, including his passport, at the airport.

The following day, he visited the Mater Hospital in Dublin, where he was prescribed medication. The court heard he did not give doctors at the Mater Hospital details of his previous mental health incident in 2022.

Concerned about his son, John McGowan flew from the US to Ireland, which counsel described during the trial as "a mission of mercy to help his son."

John met Henry at the Mater Hospital, and the two travelled to Ballyfin Demesne for the night while they waited for an emergency passport for Henry.

They had an agreement that Henry would take his medication after dinner, but when he was seen walking naked around the pool area, his father took him to a changing cubicle.

Henry emerged a short time later and jumped into the pool.

Staff found John in a pool of blood in the changing cubicle. He was pronounced dead by emergency services.

Henry was found sitting in the library.

November 13, 2024: Security at the gate of Ballyfin Demesne in Co Laois the day after Henry McGowan killed his father John McGowan. (RollingNews.ie)

McGowan later told consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Monks that on the day of the killing, he had feelings of his father not being his real father and described delusional ideas where his father was an imposter: "I thought it like I was ordained by God to kill my father, like he was a source of evil."

McGowan described to detectives how he strangled his father at the hotel with his bare hands and how he told his father that he would "always love him as he had his last breath."

McGowan told detectives: "I counted to 49 and when I got to 49 he was breathing and had a pulse. I counted on 20 seconds longer and he stopped. He kept gasping for air, I would not let go."

He continued, saying: "I was seething and physically tired... once he hit his head and was on the ground, he wasn't resisting. I then put a full fist into his throat using my full force.

"I pushed down with both hands on his Adam's apple, but he kept breathing. I then put full force on his throat with my knuckles.... It was shocking how long it took. I say it took in the region of eight minutes."

Prosecuting counsel Brendan Grehan SC told the jury that it is often those closest to a person who develops an active mental illness who are "most at danger."