Accused felt like ‘monster’, murder trial hears

A 35-year-old man, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murdering his fiancée, told gardaí that he felt “like some monster” he could not control when he used his arms to strangle her, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

“I was like devil, somebody using me,” Andrei Dobra said, adding that he “squeezed her neck” which resulted in the death of Ioana Mihaela Pacala, 30, in the couple’s flat at Riverwalk Court, Fairyhouse Road, Ratoath, Co Meath, on or about 12 November 2022.

Two psychiatrists called by the defence and prosecution will give evidence that he was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the killing.

The accused and Ms Pacala, both Romanian nationals, were described as a hard-working couple who were committed to each other and planning to get married.

The court has heard that State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster determined that Ms Pacala was strangled and died from a lack of oxygen to the brain.

Detective Sergeant Shane Dervan gave evidence to counsel for the State, Seán Guerin, that when Mr Dobra was charged, he replied: “I am so sorry for that, it shouldn’t have happened”.

Det Sgt Dervan confirmed that, during a garda interview, the accused said: “Because my mentality, I don’t know what happening.”

Mr Dobra spoke about a “phantom” and a “feeling in middle of night”, telling gardaí that he had dreams in which he saw someone coming to kill him.

“I destroy my life for nothing. I don’t know why. I see my life is over … I love her so much, know it my fault, don’t want to kill her … some night some phantom tried to push me, kept fighting me, to change mind,” the accused said, going on to tell gardaí that he thought he had killed his girlfriend with his arms.

“Just something like wind in ear, two or three nights like that, almost like ghost grabbing you by brain trying to scare you … like someone in my body,” he said, adding: “I think somebody push me to do this, like someone put a curse on me for me and her to die.”

Det Sgt Dervan said that when the accused was asked who had caused Ms Pacala’s death, he replied: “I think God … maybe some devil, but I don’t remember how it’s happening.”

He said that when gardaí put it to the accused that it had been his arms that were used to cause the death, Mr Dobra said: “I think I kill my girlfriend … I think I squeezed her neck.”

The court heard that Mr Dobra said he could hear screaming and he saw “the face was red, eyes red”.

“I was like devil, somebody using me … I am feeling like some monster I can’t control,” the accused told gardaí, going on to say that he saw that Ms Pacala’s face was blue.

Det Sgt Dervan said that in Mr Dobra’s final interview, it was put to him that he had confirmed 100% that it was his arms that killed Ms Pacala, to which he replied: “I know, but my brain somewhere else.”

Gardaí put it to him that Ms Pacala died a violent death, during which she put up a fight and the accused had the marks to prove this, to which Mr Dobra said: “I think she scratched me.”

He said that he “squeezed her neck”, which he described as a “very big mistake”.

Det Sgt Dervan confirmed to defence counsel, Michael Bowman, that gardaí travelled to Romania to meet the families of the deceased and the accused, which revealed a picture of a hard-working, committed young couple.

They planned to get married and there was no suggestion of domestic violence in the background.

Det Sgt Dervan said that Ms Pacala’s father spoke to Mr Dobra the night before his daughter’s death and found that he was not responding coherently.

The detective sergeant confirmed to Mr Bowman that, as the garda investigation progressed, it began to emerge that there may well have been a psychiatric element to the case.

At the beginning of the trial, Mr Guerin told the jury that it would hear from consultant psychiatrist Dr Brenda Wright that Mr Dobra was suffering a major depressive episode with psychotic symptoms at the time of the killing.

She will give evidence that he believed his life was in danger and that his actions in killing his partner were therefore morally justified.

She will also say that he did not understand that killing Ms Pacala was wrong.

Professor Patricia Casey, who will be called by the defence, will say that Mr Dobra was suffering from schizoaffective disorder and was psychotic at the time.

At a minimum, Mr Guerin said, both psychiatrists agree that the accused’s mental disorder was such as to diminish his mental capacities.

The trial continues on Friday before Ms Justice Melanie Greally and the jury of six men and six women.