Three years after his death, parents of Jimmy are still seeking answers
THE parents of Jimmy Loughlin, who was killed in Sligo in 2018, have said that “the pain will never go away” and that there are still so many unanswered questions around their son’s death.
Michael and Paula Loughlin were speaking this week ahead of the third aniversary of the death of Jimmy on February 24, 2018. Jimmy, who was 20 and originally from Killross, between Ballygawly and Ballintogher, died following an attack at the house where he was living at Connolly Street, Sligo.
He had never had any contact with the man who killed him, Richard McLaughlin, before McLaughlin broke through his front door and attacked him with a crowbar while having a psychotic episode. McLaughlin, 34, was committed to the Central Mental Hospital in Dublin after being found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity at the Central Criminal Court.
But Jimmy’s parents Michael and Paula said they are still seeking closure with “so many unanswered questions”.
Speaking to the Irish Sun, they said it was “totally unacceptable” that someone so dangerous and known to mental health services was living a few doors down from their “completely innocent” and “defenceless” son.
It emerged during the trial that a psychiatrist previously had concerns that McLaughlin was at risk of committing matricide – killing his own mother – or stranger homicide in relation to delusional beliefs. Jimmy’s parents said the pain remained “as raw” as the moment they learned of their son’s death and then had to break the news to daughters Grace, Rose and Kitty.
Michael said: “We will never forget the unimaginable day of Saturday, February 24, 2018. This was the day our only son Jimmy was killed in his own house around lunchtime while getting ready to go to work. He was killed in the most barbaric and horrific way.
“We had to attend the murder trial at the Central Criminal Courts of Justice in July 2019, and we had to sit through two days of horrific graphic evidence explaining how Jimmy suffered and the brutality inflicted on him for no reason whatsoever.
“The 18-month wait for the murder trial was unbearable and no remorse was shown by the assailant sitting approximately 10 feet away from us.
“The pain for us, our three daughters, family and close friends will never go away, there are so many unanswered questions.”
The Loughlins said that they remain “as determined as ever” to get answers from the authorities as to how McLaughlin was free to carry out the killing despite being a danger to society.
Michael said: “We hoped that all other matters including the coroner’s inquest would have been concluded by now to allow us to move on, instead we are still having to deal with these issues. We need the right answers to help to ease our pain. “Jimmy was completely innocent, he had no communication in any way or met or knew the killer. Jimmy had his whole life ahead of him yet was taken from us at the age of 20. He loved Sligo, He was so funny and a real entertainer. He was kind and gentle and loved by everyone who knew him.
“We must stay strong for Jimmy and our three daughters as the five of us continue to live in this nightmare and that will never change.” The Loughlin family are still awaiting the inquest into their son’s death and refused to be drawn on any civil action in relation to the case.
They issued a message of thanks to family and friends for “their amazing support”.
Michael said: “Our parish priest Fr Vincent Connaughton, our families and friends in Ireland and London have given us great comfort and support and without that we do not know where we would be.”
“We are as determined as ever to get all the answers as to how this happened to our son. To learn that Richard McLaughlin was known to mental health services was so shocking for us.
“After Jimmy’s brutal death we also learnt about the horrific posts the killer Richard McLaughlin had posted to YouTube under the username Lucifer which included details of the way he could attack people using a crowbar, the said weapon he eventually used to kill our son.
“It is so shocking, it is hard to come to terms with. We have lost our son and we need to get all the answers as to how this happened.”
McLaughlin repeatedly recorded himself reading from the Bible as he made a series of threats to kill in the months leading up to the attack. He told on YouTube how he was hearing voices in his head as he publicly warned of his illness and “high aggression”.
The Criminal Criminal Court also heard how McLaughlin had previously threatened to kill and had long been involved with mental health services.