Londonderry: Man admits to killing of Spanish national, court told

Londonderry: Man admits to killing of Spanish national, court told

A man has confessed to the killing of a woman whose body was discovered in a ground-floor apartment following a fire at the property over two years ago, a court heard. The accused, 30-year-old Ciaran Edward Murray from Malvern Terrace in the Waterside district of Londonderry, faces a murder charge in connection with the death of 65-year-old Montserrat Martorell, who was originally from Spain.

Montserrat Martorell’s body was found in a flat located on Harvey Street in Derry on August 24, 2024. During a hearing held via video link at Belfast Crown Court on Friday, Murray was asked to plead to the murder charge. In response, he denied murder, stating instead that he was guilty of manslaughter.

Despite the plea, the prosecution announced their intention to continue with the murder charge. The defence indicated that Murray was scheduled to undergo a psychological assessment later in October. At the same hearing, the defence also communicated that Murray wished to offer his apologies to Martorell’s family, expressing remorse for his actions at the earliest opportunity.

Simon Reid KC, the prosecution lawyer, noted that in anticipation of the defence’s clinical psychologist report, a psychologist would also be prepared to conduct assessments for the prosecution. The presiding judge, Mr Justice Fowler, announced that the case would be reviewed in November to evaluate progress on the medical evaluation

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